


Spring Break

by char_lotteral



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Mild Sasusaku, Multichapter, NaruHina - Freeform, NaruHina 2020, Slow Burn, Spring Fling, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 40,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27432706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/char_lotteral/pseuds/char_lotteral
Summary: Now, sitting here, with his feelings still intact and just when he thought he’s finally gotten rid of all of them. Seeing her merely inches away from him, still looking as gorgeous as ever, his once hidden feelings now began to resurface from the crevice of his novice heart, knocking down all the barriers, all sense of rationality, and all the concrete lies he’s been constantly feeding himself. He felt himself readily surrendering to the beautiful, tempting girl beside him.So, he caved.Well, what else could he do?He’s never been the one to deny her that easily, anyway.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 54
Kudos: 130





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Naruhina College/Spring Fling AU
> 
> This is actually all pure fluff (maybe a hint of angst) endless flirting and hardly plot. I admittedly didn't give much thought into the plot hehe but with that being said, I hope you enjoy~

All Naruto wanted to do this spring break was to spend his entire free time with his best friends. Maybe even grab a beer or two, or he would fool around with some hot chicks, drink and party until he’d pass out lifeless and completely forget his identity altogether. Then, if God allowed him; he’d find a steady girlfriend who wouldn’t treat him like shit, and with whom he could run off into the sunset with, get married and have kids or something. Probably, like one of those scenes from those old cheesy romcom films he’s been watching a lot lately.

He had _so many_ plans prepared for himself for this year’s spring break.

And spending it with Hinata Hyuuga was definitely not one of them.

Their ride to the rendezvous Sakura had told him earlier was painfully awkward as an evident shrill of silence shrouded their atmosphere. If it weren’t for the hums of the tires or the whirring of the moving winds, he was positive that the silence was just enough to make them hear a pin drop.

And no, it wasn’t because he didn’t like spending time with her.

Nor was it because he hated her or anything.

More like the exact opposite.

He was _really fucking in love_ with her.

Really fucking in love with her as in he’s bound to forget himself whenever she’s around. He’s so fucking in love with her that his ability of speech and his basic comprehension skills would leave him then and there whenever he realizes she’s been breathing the same air as him. He’s so fucking in love with her that every nook and corner of his brain has been completely occupied by her smile, her name, her face and even her damn scent. He’s so fucking in love with her that when he first found out she’s been dating this Toneri guy, his will to live all died down.

He could still recall the physical pang he felt once his broken heart split, not into two, but into thousands, _millions,_ of shards, scattered all over his chest; his chest that bore a gaping black abyss of rejection, self-deprecation and pain _, so much pain,_ that _she_ had inflicted upon him. His sense of reality began to waver as soon as he heard that particular news, causing him to drift farther, deeper into this empty black hole of nothingness that weighed on him like thousand of anvils, pulling him down and down, forcing him to succumb into his now bitter, cruel, _cruel_ face of reality.

So yeah, you could say he has some feelings for her here and there.

He never fully understood why his heart chose her or why it happened all so suddenly.

When, in fact, she was _wayyy_ out of his league.

I mean look at her; she’s beautiful, smart, kind, _beautiful,_ literally the nicest girl he’s ever met, funny, _beautiful,_ charming, really hot, had he already mentioned that she was beautiful?

She was perfect, _so damn perfect._

Which was quite ironic, seeing as how he fell in love with her because of some dumb lab assignment.

They were both assigned as lab partners to dissect this frog in Biology class back in their first year in college, which was nauseating, to say the least and the entire process was too disgusting to even remember the details, but she; _she_ had made his experience all the worthwhile. They laughed and joked and even gave their little froggy a name and a history of his short-lived life. They named him Gama-chan and sent him prayers of thanks and of blessings, wishing little Gama-chan a peaceful life there on the other side. They laughed and fooled around even more and before he knew it; he was smitten.

Absolutely fucking smitten.

She’s never been absent from his thoughts ever since.

She was just, well-- _perfect,_

Making him realize that he… just wasn’t.

Not even close, not even a bit. He was far _far_ from it.

So, to spare himself a from lifetime of embarrassment and possible rejection, he never told her, never even confronted her about it. He convinced himself that this was all temporary, that it was all a spur of the moment when they continued to cut up that frog’s guts. He was even fully convinced that maybe the stench of frog blood was somewhat of an aphrodisiac that triggered his feelings to go absolute haywire on her.

He then ignored it and waited for his feelings to pass.

Spoiler alert; they never did.

To make things worse, he constantly found himself unconsciously staring at her 24/7, looking for her during his free time, eventually becoming _close friends_ with her, that made him be a part of _her_ circle of friends, granting him more time with her, more opportunities to stare at her and be more in love with her than he already was.

He’ll admit that he was never really the _best_ person with this whole ‘moving-on’ situation.

Brewing up other solutions to make himself completely forget about her, he then sought out for the most logical one he could come up with; sleeping and dating with as many girls as he could get with. Hoping that it was enough to push his brain and heart to finally, _finally_ accept that she was just too good for him and his damned existence.

He was too preoccupied with his own hefty situation that it never occurred to him what would happen if _she_ were to start dating other guys.

Then, this whole Toneri situation began.

Utterly depressed and left astray, he steadily distanced himself from her to preserve his own mental and emotional health ~~and from his now growing jealousy.~~ And to distract himself even further, he continued sleeping with every woman that found him attractive, which was surprisingly not that hard, seeing as how he was quite the good-looking bloke. Plus, you’d be shocked with the large number of hungry women in his university who were pining for even a just amount of good-time.

They haven’t talked to each other since then.

Now, sitting here, with his feelings still intact and just when he thought he’s finally gotten rid of all of them. Seeing her merely inches away from him, still looking as gorgeous as ever, his once hidden feelings now began to resurface from the crevice of his novice heart, knocking down all the barriers, all sense of rationality, and all the concrete lies he’s been constantly feeding himself. He felt himself readily surrendering to the beautiful, tempting girl beside him.

Making him realize that his feelings were still as passionate and as intense since day one.

Nothing’s changed, nothing felt new.

All except for the fact that they were much stronger than before.

And he preferred it that way.

Well, what else could he do?

He’s never been the one to deny her that easily, anyway.

And before he knew it, he realizes that he’s been gawking at her for an uncomfortable period of time now, making himself unsteady in the driver’s seat.

_Eyes on the road, Romeo, wouldn’t want to kill her in the middle of the road._

Whilst in the middle of his internal battle with himself, the stillness in the air hadn’t changed an inch. The only perceptible form of sound in the whole duration of their car ride was the natural murmurs from the loud outdoors. It was all too quiet especially for someone as skittish as him.

_Say something, damn it._

“So, um I— uh didn’t know you were uh... coming along with us on this trip.”

_Smooth, real smooth._

“Sakura just told me to fetch someone along the road and I uh wouldn’t have known that it would be...y-you.”

This reminded him to make a mental note of confronting Sakura about this awkward situation she put him in. When she had told him to pick someone up on the certain address she gave him, he guessed that it might’ve been Sasuke or Ino or at least _anyone_ that _wasn’t_ Hinata. Hell, he had no idea whatsoever that she was actually going on this trip with them!

“Neither did I, unfortunately. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience, Naruto-kun. I guess Sakura-san was just too busy planning this entire trip, she might’ve forgotten to inform both of us.”

“O-oh, you didn’t know either huh. Well, it’s all good actually! I honestly don’t have any problems with… with being here with ahh...you.”

Only realizing how ridiculously flirty he sounded, he quickly retracted his statement, fumbling on his own words even more.

“N-not that I-I _like_ being with you or that I’d _like_ to _be with_ you, it’s just um— You’re not an inconvenience at all!! Is what I meant to say.” _fuck;_ he so elegantly mumbled under his breath.

Warmth now creeping up all the way to his face, he impulsively lowered his head down to hide the increasing embarrassment that was written all over his countenance. And before he could embarrass himself even further, a light giggle wafted in the air as he sneakily stole a glance at the source of that adorable giggle.

Sweetness and delicacy were gingerly coated all over her profile, eyes all crinkled and lit up with absolute mirth, her dainty hand hovering inches away from her mouth in a lady-like yet adorable manner and the pleasant melodies of her dulcet laugh echoed ever so sweetly in his ears.

He missed this.

He hadn’t realized how much he’s missed hearing her laugh and how lucky he had been to be on the receiving end.

He’s missed her so much that a wave of regret washed all over him as he recalled his childish actions for even distancing himself from this beauty before him.

How he wished to be bathed in that sweet smile of hers for as long as he was allowed to.

Her laugh now reaching to a steady halt, with her mirthful eyes peering at him from the passenger’s seat.

“Don’t worry, Naruto-kun. I like being here with you too.”

Had he heard that right or was he simply imagining things again?

Did she really just say that she liked being here with him?!

Is she even aware of how much power she holds over him, that with even one word of the slightest affection from her, could immediately wreak a monstrous havoc all over his pounding heart?

“I— um th-thanks!” Driven by his raving excitement, his voice came out a pitch higher, making himself all the more embarrassed than before. His face and ears were scalding with immense heat and his cheeks now flushing redder than tomatoes. 

Oh, the charms of being in love.

Though, smitten as he was; this abrupt resurfacing of his past feelings hadn’t been triggered for no exact reason. There had been rumors lingering about from his friends and some recent news he’s been hearing a lot lately, that made him feel all too guilty for being too ecstatic upon reaching this particular news.

It wouldn’t hurt if he were to confirm those said rumors from her, would it? 

He just needed to be sure, that’s all.

Maybe just a tad bit of reassurance to jumpstart his unceasing feelings all over again.

No harm done,

Right?

“Ahh...Hinata can I a-ask you something?”

“Sure! I’m all ears.”

“Sooo... well, not that this is any of my business or anything and all… but I heard that you and um Toneri was it? That you and him... broke up? I mean, they could just be a bunch of rumors or something, w-what would I know."

_Shit, she’s quiet. I knew this’d be too awkward. Shit shit shit_

“Apparently so, actually. Toneri and I broke up weeks ago and well, I wasn’t aware that the news of it had spread so quickly.”

_Holy fuck, she’s single again!_

“R-really?!”

_You sound too happy, take it back, take it back, take it back_

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sound _too excited_ um I, uh well... I’m sorry for your— _your loss_ ahh… _fuck._ I meant your break up! I’m sorry for your break up!”

_Dumbass_

And yet again, he was greeted with another of her warm giggles, humming in his ears, easing all the built-up tension he’s been accumulating from the entirety of their awkward conversation.

Upon hearing this news, he simply couldn’t grasp that a beauty like Hinata, had been simply wasted by some scumbag named _Toneri!_ Who the hell does he think he is anyway?! This is _Hinata_ we’re talking about; Hinata who could light up an entire dull room with just her giggles, Hinata who could lift you up with just her smile, Hinata who could cast a spell on you with just the gaze of her moon-like eyes, Hinata who had never once cursed, let alone, done any form of misdeed in her entire life!

_I bet I could treat her better than that scumbag ever could._

“To be frank, it ultimately didn’t feel like a _loss._ More so, a loss of baggage, I guess? I was the one who ended it all. We… we wouldn’t have worked out in the end”

“I honestly never would’ve guessed that it’d be you who would uh… cut the strings off. I also kinda didn’t expect that the both of you would eventually break up. You two looked _really_ happy and ya gotta admit, 7 months is kind of a big deal.”

“Oh...I’m surprised you’re aware that our relationship lasted for 7 months.”

Crap, had he been exposed already?

Okay, maybe he was tracking the time they spent together and maybe he was _a bit_ observant with how their relationship played out. He’s gathered enough intel to know that the both of them had lunch together on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, informing him ahead to avoid the cafeteria on those exact days. He’s also aware that they got together on the 15th of September, making him hate the 15th day of every month. And he also _might_ be aware of the gifts he’d been giving her for the duration of their relationship, seeing as how active she was in posting all of his damn presents to her on her Instagram account.

So what if he does stalk her occasionally on all her social media accounts, it’s not like he’s a creep or something.

He just needs intel, that’s all.

He’s been watching over her behind the scenes, carefully assessing if that bastard’s been treating her properly or not.

And no, it wasn’t so he could internally torment himself,

She’s just a friend.

Just a _friend._

“W-what? O-ohh, Yeah, um Sakura told me about that. She’s updated us once in a while, y’know? Since you two are practically best friends and all. I uhh— anyway! How about you fill me in about your relationship, like maybe how you two broke up or why you broke up in the first place? N-not like I _need_ to know or that it’s any of my business. I’m just um ahh… concerned! I’m just really…. concerned. Since, you’re a precious friend and all.”

Apparently, his rambling tendencies whenever he talks to her have gotten worse. He glances at her once more, deducing if he’s made their situation any more awkward than it already was.

“Ahh… I’d rather not speak about it, yet, I’m sorry. I-it’s not that I’m uncomfortable talking with you, it just feels as if the _wounds_ are still fresh from memory and t-that I’m not ready to be open about it yet.”

_Wounds, huh. So, she was that affected by their break up. She must have really liked him, then._

Not that it bothered him.

Break ups were always like that, and he had no right whatsoever to intrude on such a private agreement.

He was angry, of course, that a bastard like that Toneri guy had the guts to even _hurt_ her like this. ~~Definitely not because he was jealous.~~

“Oh, I-I see... I’m sorry for being nosy. It wasn’t any of my business and yet I still annoyed you with it. Damn it, I can be fucking insensitive sometimes. I’m sorry, I’m so _so_ sorry. Ahh _shit.”_

Now wishing the earth would just swallow him whole in that exact spot all the while being completely overwhelmed by the utter feeling of humiliation that had been sneaking its way to the front of his face and at the back of his neck. Why was it so hard to act like a normal human being around her, anyway?

Wallowing in his pit of self-loathing, he hadn’t realized that she had been laughing non-stop at his dumb antics, making him blush profusely than before.

“Heh, I must look like a big ol’ fool to you, seeing as how you’re completely enjoying yourself.”

“Oh, no no, it’s not like that! I definitely don’t see you as a big fool. It just amuses me how you almost always end your sentence with a swear word. Almost like it’s been embedded into your system.”

That’s it? She’s not laughing at him because of his dumb fuck-ups? Or because of how he’s been consistently embarrassing himself in front of her?

She even used the term _swear word._

Does she even know how cute she sounds right now?

“W-what? It’s not like I do it on purpose! I fuc— sorry, _mess_ up a lot, that it impulsively blurts out of me! You’re a saint and all, so of course you wouldn’t get it.”

“Me? A saint?”

“Well, duh. You’re like the nicest girl in the entire world. You bear with my dumbness in class, even though you and I both know it can’t be helped. You look after our lab animals, even if they’re all gonna die soon. You address every one of your friends with both _kun_ and _san,_ despite having known each of us for a really long time now, _and_ I’ve never heard you curse, _once_! So, of course you’re a saint. Hell, you could be the new Virgin Mary if you wanted to.”

Eyes still on the road, he caught a glimpse of her from his peripheral view, only to be caught off guard by a blushing Hinata.

She was blushing.

As in _cheeks tinted red, anime style_ type of blushing.

And by God, did she look adorable.

He felt his heart skip a beat.

She _did not_ have the right to act this cutesy in front of him.

This only heightened his emotions even further.

Not that he was complaining.

He liked the feeling a lot. He liked her a lot.

Though, _‘like’_ was definitely an understatement.

“Y-you’re exaggerating! I’m no saint and I-I know I couldn’t match up to the Virgin Mary even if I wanted to! Y-you only like teasing me!”

“Yeah, speak for yourself. Hey, do you mind rolling down the windows for me, Mother Hinata?”

“Na-Naruto-kun!”

Now, it was his turn to chuckle at her flustered reactions. God, he missed this. He missed talking to her so casually, teasing her relentless, fooling around with her, and just be plain Naruto with her.

He’s missed her _so much_.

Admittedly, he does sound like a douche for even thinking this way, but he is somehow grateful that she’s finally cut ties with that white-headed bastard. He always perceived him to be a bit too sketchy and unworthy for someone as amazing as Hinata. ~~~~

As the afternoon passed by and the roads continued to extend itself towards their destination, they continued to heartily spark new conversations with each other, almost as if they hadn’t stopped talking for a long time. They exchanged laughs and commentaries, and Naruto had never felt more alive since then. He missed this. He missed her. And he could already tell that this trip of theirs was going to be one hell of a ride.

* * *

“Hey look, we’re already here.”

Time ran quicker as they continued bantering about, only realizing that they had finally reached their destination after a 2 hours-long trip. Naruto carefully parked his car within their range and were immediately greeted with the smiling faces of their friends.

From a clear view in the front windowsill of his car, he could distinguish the faces of Sakura, leisurely enjoying being wrapped around the arms of his bastard best friend. She seemed to be engrossed in a conversation between her and a certain someone with platinum blonde hair, laughing and indulging in each other’s small talk while silently sending death glares and physical threats to each other in the next second.

The latter turned her head towards their direction and called them out, waving and gesturing to join in their little hangout session.

They both got out of the car and dashed towards their group of friends who were leaning on the armrests of a long wooden bench, casually lazing about while waiting for the both of them by the side of the road.

Naruto peered behind them and found an intricate yet comfy treen cabin only a few feet away from them. Wood crest walls sat on the far end of the yard, standing firm and grounded, supporting the steel square-framed roof that hung atop the cabin. Uneven patches of umber and mahogany adorned the surfaces of its timber façade with a strong brick chimney sturdily erected high above the roof. He could visibly make out the mustard-tinted windows that were wide enough to provide him the view of its interior designs. And a rustic foyer welcomed its guests as four white columns were brandished alongside the entrance, porch lights gleamed a gold blush on the hallway, emanating a comforting aura for the guests of the house.

Only now fully registering where their car ride had taken them, high trees of various lengths and sizes, secluded their vicinity, and a chilly breeze enveloped the air, playing with their skin with its feather caresses. The soothing fresh whiff of nature’s delicate scent revelled within him, seemingly calming his senses, causing him to let loose and bask in its serene idyll.

The ambience up here was peaceful.

He felt at peace being surrounded by these shades of green and the crisp atmosphere his surroundings exuded.

“Naruto! Hinata! Glad you’re both finally here!”

Sakura called out to them as she steadily positioned herself away from her boyfriend’s arm and made her way towards the two.

“Ahh Sakura-san, excuse me for a bit while I wait for Kiba-kun by the road. He recently texted me, saying that he’s already close by.”

“Yeah, sure! Just come by the house as soon as he arrives, alright? We’ll be waiting inside.”

Hinata exchanged her words of thanks and dashed out and waited by the side of the road, patiently looking around for any sign of her middle school friend.

Naruto followed his gaze upon her and locked onto her petite figure as she stood at the side in an almost genteel behaviour with her hands gently placed in front of her, her eyes focused at any incoming pedestrians.

“You have that dumb look on your face again, dobe.”

Upon hearing that ever-familiar chastising tone, he glanced to his left and found his bastard best friend standing a few inches away from Sakura.

“Ha! He’s got that _‘I’m so damn in love with you but I don’t have the balls to tell you’_ kind of look written all over his face!”

And yet another familiar voice arrived near him, as her mocking aqua eyes stared intently at him. Forcefully poking at the midsection of his chest, almost as if to puncture a hole with her well-manicured yet pointy fingernails.

“What the hell are you talking about? I’ve moved on from her months ago, that’s that. So, quit teasing, you’ll scare her off.” Naruto defended himself, hoping it was enough to convince his friends,

And probably himself.

But he’ll get to that later.

“Moved on, my ass. You’ve told us that, what? A thousand times now?” Ino chided him while still applying pressure at her non-stop poking, which now moved to his left shoulder blade.

“Ow, Geez! You’re fingernails sting like bees. Stop that!” Flicking away her annoying finger that still lingered on his shoulder.

“Oh, I’ll stop alright. If you finally stop being a pussy and talk to her already.”

Now, proceeding to exert more effort as she continuously dug her fingers into his chest with every forceful thrust. He could feel the graze of her fingernails now bruising his skin. Her nails were so damn sharp!

“And when the hell did you get all this buff?! Damn Naruto! If you weren’t so lovestruck with our sweet Hinata, I’d probably take you right here and now!”

“Ino! Shut it! You’re being a creep.” Sakura then interjected and held her wrist to flick it away from his slightly throbbing chest.

“Tch, I’ve always been ripped. How do you think I get all the girls?”

“Oohhh, do you mean every girl _but_ Hinata?” Completely proud of herself, Sakura shot him a smug look and placed her right arm at the side of her hip, to which Sasuke responded with an approving nod. While Ino flat out burst into laughter, clinging onto her stomach in attempt to suppress the incessant hearty chuckles that escaped her lips.

_Seems like I’m damn lucky to have them._

“Do… do you remember when this idiot was so fucking depressed when… Hinata started dating that guy… That he never left his apartment… for 3 fucking weeks?” Barely unable to suppress her laughter even further, Ino paused in between her statements, desperately grasping for air like a fish out of water.

“Oh! OH! Or that time when he dozed off in the middle of our hangout and we caught him mumbling some embarrassing shit about Hinata? _Oh, Hinata, please come back~ Hinata, Hinata Hinata~”_ Sakura, who was just as amused as Ino, joined along with her, clutching her stomach as she gasped for air from their comical teasing.

Heat now crawling its way up to the back of his neck and visibly grazing the tips of his ears and cheeks, Naruto called them out and defended himself once more “Hey! You wouldn’t understand what I went through! You just feel so damn lucky that _you_ have Sasuke!”

“At least I actually had the balls to tell her how I felt and not back down to a stranger like some weakass sissy.” Sasuke shot him another one of his smug looks and complacently wrapped his arm around Sakura, pulling her closer to him as if to shove it in his face how utterly single and desperate his ass was.

“Teme! I’ll shove that up your—”

“E-excuse me everyone, but Kiba-kun is finally here. Would it be alright if we head inside now?”

Completely caught off guard by her abrupt appearance, Naruto hastily tucked both his hands in a well-mannered, childlike sense, and asserted himself in front of her. Now standing upright with a more confident demeanor, he smoothed down his pants and cleared his throat as he felt the area of his collar beginning to tighten. 

His friends all noticing his sudden change in aura, immediately gave him a side glare, snickering and picking at him in a concealed manner.

Kiba, quickly catching up to the ridiculous tension in the air, decided to join in as he coughed up _‘loser’_ with his balled fist pressed to his mouth. He too, gave Naruto a disapproving look and gazed back at his friends who welcomed him and briefly interviewed him about his trip to get there.

Impulsively, Naruto stole another side glance at his long-term crush, observing every angle of her dainty beauty. Her cheeks seemed to have flushed because of the sudden decrease in temperature, emphasizing an apple tinted blush that grazed her cheekbones. Her lips were still plump as he remembered, the feel of its silk caress had haunted his dreams until now. His eyes then landed onto hers as he drowned himself in those lovely opals that could bewitch him with only a gaze.

The girls he’s been dating usually enjoyed wearing skimpy outfits to accentuate their figure, making them all the more attractive for his imaginations. Hinata on the other hand, didn’t even need to try. Even in her loose lilac turtle neck and denim overalls which was also matched with a bulky knee-length coat to cover her up even more, her delicious curves couldn’t hide themselves from him that easily.

He swallowed back a gulp, completely overwhelmed by how adorable yet seductive she looked in her outfit.

His eyes still lingering playfully on her and only did he notice those opal eyes meeting with his own.

His face flushed a burning crimson, quickly averting his gaze and hiding his fidgety hands inside the pockets of his hoodie. Shifting unsteadily in his place, only wanting to be buried in the pits of the earth then and there.

Why the hell was he _such_ a loser?

* * *

Dinner passed quickly as they all ate and animatedly chatted about their recent occurrences in university and within their daily lives. Hinata had prepared each of them a bento box, then volunteered to prepare their meals for the duration of their 5-day trip. Sakura and Ino then insisted on helping her out, hoping that she wouldn’t be all too stressed-out.

Hinata had offered him his bento box, with a little personalized onigiri that was decorated to look somewhat like him. He noticed a faint blush tinge her cheeks as she saw him open his box and stared at the dish in awe.

“I-I hope it isn’t all too silly. I had some spare time and I thought of playing around a little.”

This wasn’t fair.

Does she even have the slightest idea of how adorable she is?

Is she even aware of the chaos she’s causing in his chest right now?

This wasn’t fair, in the slightest.

“Gah Hinata! They’re adorable!! I like how creative you got and used Tori-soboro for my blonde hair. _And_ you painted my lips a luscious red! You know me so damn well, I love you.”

Ino exclaimed as she brought her onigiri high enough for everyone in the room to see. Practically bouncing up and down like a child on Christmas who got exactly what she wanted from Santa.

A tinge of hurt rippled through him.

Okay, so maybe he was a tad bit disappointed as soon as he found out he wasn’t the only one who had a personalized onigiri. So maybe he did dreamily believe that she placed in the most effort into _his_ bento.

He just desperately wanted to hog all of her kindness just for himself.

He gazed at the ceiling of his bedroom with both his hands tucked behind his head. His thoughts kept shifting to their fun little car ride, causing his chest to go on a rampage as he recalled every little detail about that wonderful afternoon.

If those two hours were as transcendent as it felt, then he couldn’t wait what the rest of this trip had to offer.

“Oi, earth to Dobe. It’s your turn to use the bathroom and wash up. You reek of horny.”

Without even looking up, he already knew the owner of that troublesome voice.

“Fuck off, I’m not horny, just… _happy_ ”

“What’s the difference?”

“Do my ears deceive me or has this brainless idiot been railing someone, _again_?” Kiba remarked at him, placing a strong emphasis on the word ‘again’ all the while crossing his legs in a matter-of-factly and shooting Naruto a haughty gaze.

“Shut up, Dog breath! And no _,_ I haven’t been _railing_ anyone! And definitely not _again.”_ Promptly gesturing him a crude flick of his finger from across the room.

A ground rule that had been established on this trip were to strictly separate the rooms between both men and women to avoid any unnecessary _distractions_ for their trip. The men’s room were located all away across the women’s room, forcing these three rowdy adult men to be cooped up in one space, making them garner all self-restraint they had to stop themselves from gouging each other’s eyes out.

“But I’ve definitely seen that face a lot of times now. So, pray tell, who’s the little lady?” Interlocking his fingers, Kiba rested his chin on the surface of it.

“W-what?! I told you already! I’m not seeing an—”

“Hyuuga Hinata”

Sasuke cut him off before he could finish. A pregnant silence then awkwardly invaded the room.

Kiba looked surprisingly stunned, his mouth agape and eyes burning with a subtle hint of fury. His brows had creased as he abruptly stood up from his seated position, hovering inches away from the poor blonde.

“Hi-Hinata?!! You and Hinata a-are—”

“Nah, definitely not. This idiot’s just in love with her again” Sasuke then chimed in before Kiba could react any further.

“W-what?! But I thought you moved on already? You _said_ you moved on.”

He thought so too.

Yet, what else could he have done?

Continue lying to himself?

Live off his life by his constant fucking and drinking just to forget his unrequited crush?

Feeding himself these false assurances that maybe, _maybe_ these feelings just might finally _poof away?_

He was done running.

He was done running away _from her_.

So, what if he was in love with her?

So, what if he was going to have his heart broken again and again and again?

If it was for her, then maybe the pain might all be worth it.

If it was for her, every damn thing was worth it.

His head still on a loop, he hadn’t realized his gaping friend still hovered in front of his bed, waiting for his answer. He seemed to notice his fists clenching and his sharp teeth gritting against each other. He could feel the heat of his stare radiating towards him, shooting him daggers and arrows by the passing minute. Almost as if he were to pounce on an uninvited challenger.

His stance and energy had said it all.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. The hell you care.” He chided, completely provoked by his friend’s sudden hostile approach.

“Tsk, assholes like you make me sick.”

_What the hell is wrong with him?_

“Oh, so I’m an asshole now? What, am I _not allowed_ to like her or something?” The spite in his tone began to increase as he finally stood eye to eye with him. His brows furrowed, his jaws clenched and the heightening of his emotions were on another level.

“Oi, idiots. Quit that already. You’re acting like a bunch of high schoolers.” Dragging himself closer to the two, Sasuke intervened and motioned his hand on top of Kiba’s shoulder. Which was immediately shrugged off as he lashed at Naruto with all the more intensity in his tone than before.

“That’s the point, you _liked_ her. You said you moved as soon as you found out she started dating that guy.” Kiba’s emphasis on the word _liked_ apparently hadn’t stirred very smoothly with him.

“Of course, I moved on! Do you think I’m that big of an asshole to actually continue chasing after her even when she already had a _boyfriend?_ I’m not that type of jerk who gets in between relationships, so I have no idea what the hell’s your problem.”

“Well, my _problem_ is that not only did you ‘stop’ liking her, but you stopped talking to her altogether! You completely erased her off the map and even fucking ghosted her as if she never existed!”

A wave of guilt sunk into him.

_Ghosted her_

_As if she never existed._

The vivid memories of him avoiding her every form of contact and or communication horribly resurfaced in his memory.

Her innocent wave of goodbye.

Her usual morning greeting.

Her invitations for their food trips after class.

Her little motivational texts she’d send him right before a test.

His cold dismissal.

Him avoiding eye contact.

Hooking up with some other girl as soon as class ended.

She texted her ever so often, he even got to the point of blocking her number.

But those— those were how he coped with his searing heartbreak. He never admitted it to anyone, but even the slightest mention of her could send his feeble heart tumbling downhill.

He was so in love with her, it hurt.

It hurt too much seeing her with someone that wasn’t him.

It hurt knowing she was happy, without him.

It hurt knowing that whatever he did, whatever he tried, whatever he said to himself, he was still so damn in love with her.

And talking to her, let alone _looking_ at her, hurt him too much, knowing the unrequited pain would always, _always_ remain permanent.

“I’m right, aren’t I?!” Kiba bit back hard, now wearing his anger on his sleeve.

“I-I have no idea w-what you’re talking about. Ho-how did I—”

“How? Then, let me fucking enlighten you! You never answered her calls, not once! Not even a text back! She tried contacting you in every damn way possible, spamming you on your every social media account. Tried _talking_ to you personally but you wouldn’t even look at her in the goddamn eye. She went out and asked all of your friends if she’d done something wrong, making her feel guilty all because of your petty jealousy. Hell, she even _cried_ for you! Do you even have any fucking idea how hung up she was on you?!”

She cried for him.

Hinata had cried for him.

Because he wouldn’t talk to her.

Guilt boomed against his chest.

The hard realization struck him like a forceful blow to the stomach;

He hurt her.

To the point of making her tears fall for him.

What kind of lunatic would do that to sweet, pure, kind Hinata?!

“You avoided her like some fucking biohazard back when she was dating someone. But here she is now; single and available, just to your liking. And, here _you_ are; innocently wagging your tail in front of her as if all your sins have been forgiven.”

He didn’t deserve her.

He didn’t deserve her, _at all_.

“We’ve been friends long enough for me to know how you roll, fox boy. How you hunt, how you evade, how you use every damn woman you could get with, all for your own fucking reasons.”

He didn’t want to hear this.

He knew where this was going.

And he knew all too well that what he’s been hearing, were nothing but the truth.

The disgusting green truth.

“And by God, if you so much as take advantage of her _,_ especially in her vulnerable and broken state right now, I’ll make sure every bone in your body doesn’t go unchecked.”

“ _Take advantage_ of her? She’s my friend just as much as she is yours! I’d never stoop that low and—”

“And what? Hurt her? As if you haven’t done that already.”

Naruto felt silent. The bile in his stomach only seemed to worsen. And he could feel Kiba’s razor-sharp glare puncturing itself through his thick skull.

“You act like you could be this _pristine, picture-perfect_ boyfriend for her, act like you could treat her better than any damn guy in the world. But your humongous ego always clouds your judgement. When we all know damn-well that compared to her, you’re nothing but a worthless piece of shit.”

“Kiba!”

Now standing in between them, Sasuke scowled at him, urging the heat between them to end then and there.

“You wish you could be that perfect boyfriend for her, you _wish_ you could be worthy of her. But apparently, you’re not. I trusted you, I even betted on you. Fuck, I had my hopes up for you! But just when she needed you the most, just when she was so fucking hopeless, where were you? Huh?! Where the fuck were you when her boyfriend—”

“Kiba! Shut it already. That isn’t your story to tell! What the hell would Hinata think if she saw you like this?!”

With a heavy shove, Kiba went flying to the ground as Sasuke’s figure towered over him. Angry glares locked onto each other.

The iciness in their eyes made Naruto feel more uncomfortable than he was before. The two boys had ignored him, acting as if he wasn’t there. Their tension seemingly more hostile than Naruto and Kiba’s. But their silence, their death glares, were almost as if they were conveying something with their eyes.

Almost as if Sasuke was telling him something.

“Tsk, whatever. I’m gonna find something to drink.”

And as he left, Kiba slammed the door behind him, leaving the dead air to linger all over their room.

Naruto was shaken. His throat felt dry. His mind blank. And he was angry. Angrier than he has ever been.

But strangely not at Kiba.

And definitely not at Sasuke.

But at himself.

At no one else but himself.

Despite the heated tension that left the air, Kiba’s words still hadn’t fully sunk into him.

His guilt now took on a monstrous form. The unbearable culpability toyed with him, messed with his brain, his lungs, his conscience and even his own sanity. Had he been less selfish, then maybe Hinata wouldn’t have been _broken_ as she was now. Had he put her needs first and not let his petty jealous get the best of him, she wouldn’t have cried and wouldn’t have been hurt because of him. Had he just _been_ there for her, then maybe, the guilt, the regret, the _anger_ wouldn’t have been eating him alive now.

Hinata needed him.

At least, that was what Kiba had told him.

But when had Hinata ever _needed_ him?

Last time he checked; _he_ was the one that needed _her_.

“Don’t be too hung up on everything he said. He was pissed and it made him spout shit he didn’t mean.” Sasuke assured his best friend and momentarily threw him a cotton towel.

“Just wash up and get cleaned. Sakura said we gotta be up early tomorrow.”

* * *

The night was quiet. Crickets chirped, leaves rustled, the air chilly and the overwhelming sense of guilt and self-hatred had been consuming him whole.

Naruto sat alone in the deck located at the back end of their cabin. His legs were stretched out with his arms supporting his weight. His head hung back as he gazed at the twinkling inky sky. And his thoughts were as far and perplexing as the stretching, mysterious concept of space that stared down at him. 

It had been an hour pass their fight and Kiba’s words had slowly materialized into tiny irksome leaches that stuck themselves onto his unruly brain. Sucking and nipping at the tiniest of crevices, slithering and lurking in every corner, refusing him the peace and quiet he needed for a good night’s sleep.

_I can’t believe I made her cry._

He huffed a deep sigh, hoping to extinguish all worries that had been accumulating in his chest.

 _What kind of asshole would make_ Hinata _, of all people,_ cry?

He closed his eyes and let himself be succumbed in the silence of the night. Continuing the mental battle he had with himself.

_I deserve a special place in hell for making someone as sweet as Hinata cry. I fucking deserve it._

No longer perceiving any form of matter around him, he let himself be soaked in the crisp air, letting his thoughts wander freely within the depths of his mind. Self-loathe and regret flared within him. The monster of his guilt now clawing and gnawing at him. He had been downright cruel to push himself to treat Hinata like some inanimate object, treating her as if she were a phantom, a _ghost._ Her existence completely forgotten and wholly erased from his memory.

Never to have existed.

Never to have come in contact with his life.

A ghost.

He had treated her as some transparent ghost.

How? _How_ could he have been that _selfish?_

“Naruto-kun?”

His eyes weighed heavy as he lazily opened them and for a second; he thought he saw the silver moon staring back at him.

Or were there two moons?

“Naruto-kun, what are you doing here? Being out in the cold like this, you could get sick”

The moon could… talk?

“Hmm? Is there something on my face?”

Now recognizing that soft voice in front of him, he froze in place.

His eyes widened like saucers at the sudden realization. Blood crept its way to his face, smearing his cheeks with a tinge of pink. His heart quickened and he felt himself stiffen. His sense of rationality abandoning him yet again. And here he was, feeling utterly powerless and puny in front of her, _again_.

“What’s wrong? Your face is red, are you catching a fever already?” She placed a hand to his temple which he reflexively shook off, catching him off guard with her electric touch.

“Hi-Hin-Hinata!!! I d-didn’t know that was y-you!! Haha~ W-what are the odds? D-don’t worry, I’m not sick, I-I just felt _really_ bored. Why are here by the w-way? It’s um an hour before midnight, you should be in bed.”

“I... Well, I couldn’t sleep. I thought it’d be for the best if I sat out here for a while and maybe bask in the calm.”

She then sat beside him, curling her knees in front of her chest and snuggly hugged them. She wore yet another oversized turtleneck sweater that hung on her like a tent for her figure. Only this time, it was a dark navy blue, closely similar to the midnight of her hair that cascaded to the edge of her back. She looked tiny in it. Almost like child wearing her father’s clothing.

“You sure like wearing turtlenecks, huh?” He commented, the tension on his shoulders slightly wearing off.

“O-oh. They make me feel comfortable. I like wearing them, that’s all.”

At the corner of his eye, he noticed Hinata tugging at the puffy collar on her neck. It looked wide enough to cover her lips or maybe even swallow her entire face.

“You particularly like the really baggy ones”

“I-is there something wrong with it?” She peered at him innocently.

“Nah, not really. You just look really cute in them, ya’know?”

Completely oblivious to what he had just said, he swatted it off as he noticed her cheeks tinge a faint shade of pink similar to his.

“I-I didn’t m-mean it _that_ way. I um— ah… fuck it.” He waved his hand in the air as if admitting defeat. To which she responded with a light giggle that never failed to bring a tender smile to his lips. He stared at her for a short-while, silently relishing her soft features. Her smile, her moondust eyes, her button nose, her plush cherry lips. Everything about her was so warm and gentle. Nothing about her didn’t radiate the childlike aura that only she could emit. She seemed so innocent, so fragile, too delicate to touch, too perfect for someone like him.

 _And I hurt her. I can’t believe I hurt_ her.

Her giggles then ceased into the air, a comfortable silence enveloping both of them. All they could hear were the distant chirps of the crickets and the faint whistles of the wind. The glow of the moon hovering high above them and the chill in the air tickling with their skin. It went on like that for another minute or so.

“I miss this.”

Hinata momentarily spoke up, her words echoing subtly in his ears.

“I miss our talks, our teases, our jokes. I miss your curses, your stutters, your lame attempts at pick up lines.” She gently laughed to herself with her eyes glued to the floor.

“I miss being seated next to you in biology class back when we were freshmen. I miss our lunch-outs with the crew. I miss the food trips we’d have after every class.” Her fingers now digging tightly into her palms. Her bangs hung from her face, shielding the glistening of her eyes.

“Hinata, I’m—”

“I miss talking to you, seeing you, spending time with you, listening to you. How I miss _just_ _being_ with you.” No longer fighting it back, a few flickering tears trickled down her cheeks, and landed on her knees. He let her continue, allowing her to vent everything out.

“I miss texting you about my horrid seatmate in history class. I miss listening to your endless rants about how you could never find a decent girl to date. I miss our little contests on who could eat the most ramen at Ichiraku’s. I miss— I miss _everything,_ Naruto-kun. I miss them, I miss _you,_ so _so_ much.”

Completely surrendering herself to the inevitable brink of her woeful crying, she let loose and burst into tears as the waterworks aggressively spilled from her eyes. She cupped her hands in front her face in attempt to cover the visible evidence of her breakdown. Her eyes puffed and sore and her pale face now flushed with red. The uncontrollable amount of tears still flowed down and down, and the inconsolable tone in her voice was raspy from her throat.

“I miss you, too”

Impulsively, he pulled her in for a hug and tightly gripped onto her tiny figure. Wrapping her in his arms and held her like a shivering puppy. He nuzzled his chin at the crown of her hair, burying her face into the warmth of his chest. He pulled her in, firmer than before, almost as if to meld her body with the shape of his own. He wanted to convey his anguish, his regret, his guilt, his remorse, all into the intimacy of this embrace. To make her feel special and loved and important, to make her know and let it _be_ known that she wasn’t just a _ghost_ to him _._ That she was so much precious than what she believed to be, so much precious than how he’s treated her, so much precious than every jewel, every trove, every crystalline gem out there.

He glanced down and briefly gazed at her lips, reliving the thought that had been haunting him the most. What is must feel like to have his against it. What it must feel to have her in his arms. What it must feel like to have her all for himself.

To have her all for himself.

He cupped her face by the side of her jaw, gently rubbing his thumb against her skin, wiping off the tears staining her beautiful porcelain face. He lifted her chin with his other free hand and angled her to provide him access to a fuller view of his favorite pair eyes, sensually rubbing his thumb at the feel of her velvet lip.

To have her all for himself.

_All for himself._

He could have her all for himself.

“N-Naruto-kun?”

_If you so much as take advantage of her, especially in her vulnerable and broken state right now;_

_Innocently wagging your tail in front of her as if all your sins have been forgiven_

_How you hunt, how you evade._

_You wish you could be the picture-perfect boyfriend, but we all know damn well, that compared to her, you’re nothing but a worthless piece of shit._

**_What am I doing?_ **

At the last minute, instead of reaching for her lips, he evaded it and placed a gentle kiss at the tip of her nose, and attempted to showcase her with his weak smile.

“I’m sorry, Hinata. I’m so fucking sorry”

He held her tighter, only this time, he fanned his eyes shut to let this moment thrive, to let all his remorse sink in. He wanted nothing more than to have her within the safety of his arms forever. To reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere ever, ever again.

“I missed you so much too. God, I fucking missed you”

“Was it something I said?” Her voice was hoarse as she croaked out her words.

“Had I said something to hurt you? Did I do something wrong? Was it because I _didn’t_ do something for you?”

He merely exhaled slowly and caressed his calloused hands against the silk of her hair, rubbing it downwards in attempt to soothe her aching sorrows.

“No, none of it was your fault. You’re too kind to be at fault, Hinata. I don’t want you feeling guilty because of what _I_ did.”

“Then, _why_ did you do it? Why… why ignore me?” Her tiny hands were gently positioned at the front of his chest, the heat from her voice tickling through his clothes.

_Because I love you._

“W-well, because…”

_Because I love you too much to see you with somebody else._

“Because?”

_Because I love you too much, too much that it hurts. Everything about you hurts._

“Ahh, because…”

Her head tilted upwards and their eyes locked onto each other’s. Pearly eyes peered at him, filled with wonder and innocence. The glint in her silver pools reflected a million stardust, twinkling like diamonds and outshining the moon itself.

“B-because we were really close friends and all. And I uh… didn’t want Toneri to have the wrong idea that maybe I was trying to steal you away from him… _N-not_ that I _would_ do that! Or I _planned_ on doing that! You’re just a really special friend and all… A-and I didn’t want you giving me half of the attention that you should be giving _him,_ because, well because… h-he’s your _boyfriend…_ And I’m just a _boy_ who’s your _friend._ A-and—”

He was then cut off by another one of her resounding giggles that resonated within the silence of the night, lulling every creature within their vicinity with the warmth of her hearty voice.

“H-heyyy!! Don’t laugh at me! I’m being serious right nowww.”

She was barely able to utter a single syllable as she continued her enthusiastic chuckles. Pausing midway with her hand clutched to her belly.

“I-I am taking you seriously—I-it’s just so funny—how you talk really fast— like you’re talking to an angry parent— almost like you’re a little kid.”

“Hinataaaaa, I’m serioussss.”

“I know, I know!”

They both then burst into hearty chunks of laughter, completely unaware of the sleeping people behind them. Their voices echoed and was released into the air, no longer suppressing back a single chuckle. Their spirits were light and the ambience was warm and welcoming. Almost as if they were back in the laboratory, dissecting that frog for their next lab assignment.

The night was calm.

Their minds weighed light.

And their hearts were full.

The night was theirs while they had each other.

A feeling of peace they hadn’t met for a while now, had fully soothed them and welcomed them back into the gentle serene.

The night was theirs,

And they had each other.

“I’m really sorry for _everything,_ Hinata... I-I hope you could find it in your heart to forgive me. I’m sorry for hurting you. I really _really_ am.”

“W-well, I was a tad bit hurt for what you did and for ignoring me all of a sudden, b-but seating here with you and listening to your childish excuses, maybe I _might_ find it in me to forgive you.” She said lightly giggling to herself.

“I _promise_ I won’t ever treat you like that _ever_ again! I was acting like an asshole. The worst type of asshole and you deserve better. Please, _pleaseeeee forgive meee.”_

He said this as he fell on his knees and gazed at her with his foolish attempt at his pleading puppy eyes, lips all pouty and eyes all sad and teary. He looked pathetic. Even more pathetic than what he usually looked like.

And to which his gesture was rewarded with another one of her giggles.

“S-stop thatt! You look ridiculous! And of course, I’ll forgive you, I don’t think I have it in me to _not_ forgive you. You’re too precious of a friend to me, Naruto-kun.”

His heart skipped a beat when he found out he was considered _precious_ but was quickly replace with a wave of sadness at the term “ _friend”._

“A-and you’re right. You were definitely acting like an… _a-hole_.”

“I’m sorry what?” His voice was all too cheery.

“I said you were acting like a meanie!”

“I never said meanie. At least, I don’t remember using the word _meanie.”_

 _“_ Y-you… you were acting l-like a horrible…”

“…A horrible?”

He bent down closer to her to only hear more inaudible murmurs.

“I’m sorry Hinata, but I don’t think I caught that. I was acting like a horrible?”

...

...

...

“Butthole. You were acting like a horrible… b-butthole.”

He guffawed and laughed all too noisily, loud enough to reach the walls of their cabin and disturb the untouched peace of the night. His heart was full, fuller than it had been for months and every passing minute, he relished. Every uttered word, he etched in his mind. And every glimpse of her, he imprinted in his heart.

He felt happy.

Happier than he’s ever been before.

* * *

“Hinata?”

A dark silhouette slowly approached her. She was wrapped in a translucent peach scarf, and the color of her hair became visibly pink now that she was under the faint glow of the light.

“Sakura-san?”

“What are you still doing out here? It’s almost 2 in the morning!” Sakura pointed this out as she trudged closer to her friend.

“I-I couldn’t sleep”

As she said this, Sakura noticed Hinata cautiously pinching the collar of her sweater, tugging the fabric closer to her neck. Aware of her actions, she let out a sigh and placed a gentle palm on her shoulder.

“I see…. You should be getting more rest then, why are you out here in the porch anyway?”

“I thought I needed some air and well, I saw Naruto-kun once I got there. He… he helped me get my mind off of things. And i-it was nice to finally talk to him again.” Hinata replied with a subtle smile splayed across her lips as memories of what had happened an hour earlier replayed in her memory. They talked for almost an hour, catching up to what they both had missed, listing all the things they’d be doing together once they were back in university, and chatting like old friends again, almost as if nothing wrong had happened between them.

In the middle of their conversation, they noticed it was getting quite late and Naruto had offered to walk her to her room. Though she had politely declined his offer and respectfully wished for some personal alone time in the middle of the quiet, hoping to ease the thoughts vexing her brain.

He respected her wishes and sauntered off into his room, granting her the peace and quiet she requested.

It was wonderful having being able to talk to him again. The memories of this night had filled one of the aching gaps in her chest, helping the burden to weigh a little lighter than it did before, gently dissipating the anxiousness in her heart.

Oh, how she wished _all_ of her burdens could just all magically disappear like that.

“So… did you tell him?” Her thoughts were bothered by the voice from her concerned pink-haired friend.

“Tell him what?”

“You know what I mean, Hinata. Have you told him yet?”

She fell silent.

“Hinata, he deserves to know just as much as we do. What do you think will happen when he finds out—”

“H-he won’t. At least n-not until I tell him.”

“He’s your friend, and he’s _Naruto_ for crying out loud. He’ll find out one way or another.”

“I-I know that. T-that’s why I’ll tell him when the time comes. I’ll tell him _everything._ We just reconciled a-and I don’t want to cause our friendship any more harm than its already been through. I don’t want him to worry too much, especially not now. So, please, _please_ give me the time I need because I promise I’ll tell him when the time comes. I-I promise.” 

Hands on her hips, Sakura heaved a deep exhale as she simply stared at her stubborn friend in utter disbelief.

“He’s not going to like this once he finds out you’ve been keeping this a secret from him for so long, you know.”

To which Hinata only replied with heavy sigh and doubtful nod, her head hung low as she continued playing with the collar of her turtleneck.

“Y-yes, I know.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this was a reupload cuz I needed to change a few things hehe. This was a tad bit too long for one chapter I'm sorry :<. Anywho, I personally enjoyed writing awkward Naruto~ he gives me life. I can't promise a consistent update of these chapters but I shall try my best. I hoped you enjoyed this first chapter andd there will be many more of this in the future. Thank you for reading! <33


	2. Uninvited guest

Dawn broke and the faintest glint of orange sunlight spilled through his curtains. Naruto woke up with a start, slipping out of his covers and stretching away the stiffness from his muscles. He glanced at his phone only to realize it was still an hour before 6 which meant he still had approximately 2 and a half hours before their departure.

Before heading out, he checked his roommates who were still sleeping soundlessly on both their beds. Not wanting to brew any more trouble for his roommate- recalling the quarrel that had taken place last night- he silently tiptoed out of his room and headed straight for the kitchen to find something to quench his morning thirst.

Apparently, the cabin was still eerily quiet, concluding that the rest of his friends must still be asleep. Yawning deeply, he continued to trudge towards the kitchen, only then noticing the visible light that emanated from the kitchen hall. His curiosity pulled him into the scene of the kitchen, inspecting who else might be up at these early hours.

As he treaded closer, a mouth-watering aroma lingered throughout the hallway, inviting him over with his curiosity now heightening.

“H-Hinata?”

He was greeted with meals being splayed about, the whiff of that flavorful scent entering his nose and an attentive little chef attending to the food.

“Naruto-kun! I didn’t expect you to be up this early.” She replied as she continued to dice the vegetables before her.

“I was just going to get something to drink. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He replied as he continued to inspect everything around him, gradually skimming through for a glass cup.

“I’m preparing the meals we’ll be eating for our trek this morning.” And as she said this, the kettle by her left shrieked, causing her to dash towards the boiling water and promptly flicking the stove off. He observed how balanced and focused Hinata was with her work. Managing everything so finely and switching back and forth from one area to the next. Systematically attending to all the food and preparations. Even in her satin sleepwear and the hectic minutes in the kitchen, did she still look elegant and prim.

_She’d make a great wife._

He hurriedly shook his head to push his embarrassing thoughts away.

Carefully transferring the hot water onto the tumbler, her hands slipped, causing the water to spill all the way to the floor. She jumped from the scene and thankfully she had avoided any contact of heat from her skin. Naruto without hesitation, rushed to her aid and grabbed a towel from the top of the shelf.

“Woah, let me help you with that.” He offered as he wiped the dripping spot on the counter.

“Naruto-kun, please be careful with—”

And before she could finish, the heat from the water seared through the thin towel, causing him to wince in pain. The scalding water had mildly burned his palm and reddened the surface of his skin. While shaking away the pain from his hand, he momentarily turned to her and sheepishly grinned that bright smile of his.

Giggles wafted in the kitchen as she approached his injured hand and inspected it for any further injuries. She peered at him apologetically and gently cupped his hands, then tracing little circles on the surface of his palm. The delicacy of her fingers made electric sparks to course through his veins. Instead of that searing pain, her touch strangely soothed the singed area of his palm, easing his nerves from the recent embarrassing accident.

“That’s what you get for being a hero all the time.” She looked at him with grateful eyes and lightly dragged his hand to center of the sink, washing his pain away with the coolness of the water.

“Can’t help it. Whenever I see a maiden in trouble, I just gotta help her, y’know?”

He retorted, causing her to shake her head in disapproval and earning him a subtle smile adorning her lips. She continued to cautiously heal his hand with the help of the water, rubbing her smooth fingers onto his calloused skin. Every feather-light touch, every caress and every contact of her skin sent shivers down his spine. Now, more consciously aware of the proximity they were in, he couldn’t help but fawn at the beauty before him. The genteel likeness as she brushed her hand on his, the alluring ghost touches she’d leave on his skin and the genuine concern etched in her eyes caused his lungs to tighten by the second.

“All done.” She said, beaming at him. After wrapping a cotton towel around his palm, she smiled at him one last time and held his hand tightly onto hers.

“This is the hand of someone who needs to work a little less and maybe rest-up more.” She commented as she tenderly stroked the topside of his burnt hand.

Reaching out to the side of her face, Naruto affectionately squeezed her cheek and brought his face closer to hers.

“And this is the face of someone who should do the exact same.” Giggling at his funny little antics, she tried to flick his wrist away yet he playfully disobeyed and squeezed it a little tighter, though not enough to hurt her fragile milky skin.

Deciding to fight back, she brought her own two hands and cupped both sides of his face and forced it to stare directly at her. Their eyes met in an instant, blue now clashing against lavender. Both consciously aware of the sudden thrill the moment had spurred. They stayed in that state for a few seconds more as they were entranced by the sight before them. The room stilled in reverie, their lungs noticeably becoming harder and harder to breathe.

Though the moment was instantly suspended as Naruto was caught off guard. Hinata had hurriedly pinched both his whiskered cheeks and squeezed it tighter than how he’d done it before, causing him to yelp from her unexpected actions. His eyes squinted at her in sheer disappointment, his mouth agape and utterly shocked by her betrayal. 

He decided to foolishly fight back and pinched both those rosy cheeks of hers, a subtle smirk escaping from his lips. Shaking his hands away from her face, she bent forward and caught his wrist, her shoulders uncontrollably bobbing from her non-stop laughing. Noticing that he wasn’t going to let go any sooner, she went with the most sensible counterattack; she opened the faucet and skittishly swished a fair amount of water in his direction.

“Okay, now you’re just cheating.”

He too, scooped water from the sink and waved it towards her, dampening her clothes and her face in the process. He let out a jovial laugh, his eyes all crinkled and hand on stomach to suppress the chuckles. She returned his teasing with a petty pout, reaching out for more water and promptly flicking it back at him. Their little game went on for a few more minutes though changing tactics in the process as Naruto quickly grabbed a handful of whipped cream from the fridge and slid it across her cheek. Hinata was completely left aghast, promptly grabbing it from him and countered his attack.

Laughter and a few light-hearted insults were exchanged during their entire playful quarrelling as Hinata wiped a tad of cream onto the tip of his nose, laughing manically at her little attempt. Naruto grabbed her wrist just in time before she could proceed once more. Though, their comical teasing was met to an abrupt halt as Naruto’s brows furrowed with his nose wrinkling in response.

“Do you smell something?” He looked at her with a questioning look and noticed the color of her face slowly drain out of her.

“Crap! I think it’s the bacon!”

* * *

The morning breeze was refreshing and chilly, it rejuvenated their lungs in one long huff. A light mist shrouded their area as the tall thick trees guarded them. It was already a quarter past 7 as they sat outside their cabin, patiently waiting for their tour guide to arrive. Sakura had invited over one of her friends who was familiar with the plain they’d be hiking that morning, however it had seemed her friend might be a running little late on the watch.

“Sakuraaaaa, where the hell is she?” Complained an impatient Naruto, whose legs gave out and was now crouching on the solid ground.

Sakura merely rolled her eyes, going over the text her friend had sent, in which she had apologized for the delay and explained how she needed to catch a little detour before reaching there.

Naruto replied with a sigh and let his head hang over his shoulders, his patients growing thinner and thinner. He glanced to his left and saw Kiba in the exact same state as he was; impatient and annoyed. Debating on whether to apologize for last night or to simply let it slide, he hadn’t noticed Kiba turning towards him with a pestered look visible across his face.

“Man, I just hope she’s hot. What’s a guy gotta do to have some good-looking girls in his life?”

Perplexed, he had no idea what to reply. Last night, they were seconds away from strangling each other’s throats and now here they were; chatting about whether or not Sakura had a hot friend or not.

“Weren’t you, like really pissed at me last night?” He replied, his head tilted sidewards as he was still left in disbelief.

“Yeah, I think I still am but hell, did that feel really good. Having to yell at you and scare the living the crap out of you.” Kiba retorted as he flashed a triumphant smirk at him.

“Plus, I’ve never seen Hinata in a better mood than today, you probably talked it out and solved whatever the fuck was going between you two. Which I take full credit for.” Kiba proudly placed a thumb to his chest, eyes glinting in self-satisfaction. Naruto, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at his stupid gesture, not wanting to brew any more heat between them.

“But if I ever see her upset about you again; I won’t hesitate to lift a finger this time, Uzumaki. I mean it” He glared at him, hostility flaring in his eyes.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m still mad?” Naruto questioned his haughty friend only to be replied with a smug scoff, Kiba’s attention was now back on the road.

They waited for what felt like almost an hour, as the golden rays of the sun now vividly illuminated the area. Naruto huffed another frustrated sigh, nagging and bickering at Sakura for her tardy friend. Their fight went on for another few minutes until Ino finally intervened and settled things down between the two.

“Please shut up, I’m begging you. This is the only request I’m asking of you; to shut the fuck up and _wait_ until Kina gets here” Sakura pleaded at the annoying blonde, barely able to control her temper any longer.

“Oh, no no no no, I woke up way too early for this shit and she isn’t even on time—”

“Sakura Haruno-san?”

Naruto was momentarily cut off as a brunette stranger approached their group. He seemed tall and lean, practically a few inches taller than Naruto. Broad shoulders, tan skin and dark ebony eyes, and a hint of bulge from his muscles were nicely defined in his beige camisa, as his toned calves were splayed out in the open for any onlookers to marvel at (Ino being one of them) with his nylon cargo shorts hanging right below his waist and landing right on his knees.

He was attractive, to say the least. Naruto had that big of an ego to not verbally admit it but the guy in front of him was definitely a snack.

Sakura, who was just as fixated at him as Ino, was startled at this stranger’s sudden appearance. She could barely articulate any words from her mouth as she was still openly gawking at the said stranger. Naruto, quickly noticing this, let out a cheeky laugh and decided to approach him instead.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?” Naruto asked, still amused by Sakura and Ino’s stupefaction.

“Oh, I’m sorry for the delay but um I’m here in place of Kina Hayashida? She said she was supposed to be your tour guide for this morning but she contacted me last minute, saying she couldn’t take you guys since she had some other businesses to attend.” He explained as he brought out his phone and presented them her text. He continued to apologize and explain in Kina’s behalf, who they found out was his cousin. They also found out his name was Haru Hayashida, and that their family had been familiar of these high terrains ever since they were young, making them the perfect candidate to guide them towards their destination in the mountains, which was Hokage Peak. He was easy to talk to and comfortable to be around with. Despite his well-built physique, he wasn’t the least bit intimidating.

Although, Naruto was still obviously pissed from the long period of time he had made him wait, but witnessing Sakura and Ino’s evident fawning over this guy and Sasuke’s obscured death glares, he couldn’t help but be entertained by his best friend’s ‘rival’.

_Now, you know what I felt like, you asshole._

They began their expedition into the depths of the mountain. Lightly treading on the road, with the greens of the terra traversing the vast fields. Massive wooden hollows stood around them, almost like giants reigning the area. Naruto couldn’t help but marvel at the sight before him, he’s gone hiking a few times before but this was different. The ambience up here was different, and so were the breath of fresh air, the swaying winds, the concealed creatures and the company of his friends just all felt different.

Light conversations were made on their travels, a few jokes and flirty comments were directed at Haru- Ino being the one to boldly engage all of them. Wholesome laughter filled the air and genuine smiles were adorned on everyone’s faces. Well, everyone’s all except Sasuke, who was still busy glaring daggers at their tour guide. Naruto excused himself from Hinata’s side and jumped friskily onto Sasuke from behind, pinning him down with one arm over his shoulder.

“Are my eyes deceiving me or is Uchiha Sasuke actually _jealous?”_ Naruto leaned in closer, provoking his best friend with his pesky comments.

Ignoring the annoying blonde beside him, he rolled his eyes and continued to tread ahead.

“Oohhh, So, you are jealousss” He continued, leaning in even closer with a smug look plastered on his face.

Sasuke attempted to ignore him further but it was to no avail, Naruto only kept pestering him on and on, slapping his back, his face all full with gloating. He once again attempted to escape from Naruto’s clingy clutches but was only deflected as he pinned him closer and spoke in a whispery voice.

“You know what, how about how I help you out so you’ll stop feeling so threatened. I am a good friend afterall.” Naruto bragged, puffing up his chest, popping a closed fist near his heart. Sasuke once again, ignored his stupid antics and proceeded to focus ahead.

Naruto ruffled his best friend’s hair and almost immediately popped beside Haru, engaging in light conversations, joking around and slowly segueing their topic about their single love-lives.

“I’ve dated a few women before but ehh they never _clicked_ ; you know? Maybe they don’t really prefer the ‘mountain, wilderness’ type of boyfriend.” Haru lamented, bitterly discussing about his hopeless romance.

Naruto’s brows furrowed, only half-believing what he had just said. He wasn’t gay or anything, but Haru was undoubtedly an attractive guy. Maybe even the same level of attractiveness as Sasuke, maybe even higher.

He proceeded to pat his shoulders lightly and gave him a look of remorse, fully aware that he was in the same boat as he was. Only his heart was already reserved for someone, though the one-sidedness was definitely there.

“Dude, you’re totally a good-lucking guy and I bet women would pounce on their asses once they got to know you better. No homo, though” He comforted and a few chuckles were exchanged here and there.

Now, to commence with his plan.

“So, since you’re Kina’s cousin and all, and Kina’s a close friend of Sakura, are you and Sakura like, friends too?” He questioned, hoping this was enough of a conversational starter to where he was intending.

“Haruno-san? Oh no, not really. Kina only introduced her to me today, never heard of her before. I only agreed since she promised money on her side of the bargain.” Haru explained his side, while still fully leading their group towards their destination. “I didn’t agree at first since I wasn’t really in the mood but you guys seem tight. It’s actually fun really being around all of you” He ended his sentence with subtle smile, looking back to catch a good glimpse of his friends.

Naruto chuckled in response and brought Sakura back into their topic. Although he slowly began to like Haru’s presence and good nature, Sasuke could still beat the living crap out of this guy and he needed to at least evade that dangerous fate Haru was slowly stepping into.

“You’re pretty fun around to be with, too.” He said as he patted his back. “Hey, about you not being every woman’s ‘type’, that’s kinda not true ‘cause I happen to know a certain woman- well _two_ women who can’t stop drooling over you.” He tilted his head at his two female friends who were now in the middle of another bickering contest, probably proving who was prettier for their hot tour guide. Haru, on the other hand, merely let out an awkward laugh, and casted his eyes downwards, clearly uncomfortable about the whole situation.

“Yeah, they’re both pretty hot and all but I don’t know, they seem kinda… aggressive.” After hearing this, Naruto burst out laughing, silently pitying both his friends in the process, also slightly relieved that Haru was no longer a possible target for Sasuke’s fists. He turned his head towards Haru once more, engaging in another topic.

“Hell, _aggressive_ is definitely an understatement. Those two are maniacs, like fire and ice whenever they’re around each other. S’fine though, dodged a bullet on that one.”

Haru opened his mouth but hesitated, before he could say anything, he retracted his statement once again and decided not to continue. Naruto gave him a reassuring look and talked him out of it. So, he proceeded to open his mouth and looked at him hesitantly.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Haru spoke up and Naruto noticed a bashful grin flat on his lips. He nodded and agreed, attentively listening in.

Haru looked back at his friends as if searching for someone and playfully raked his hair with the comb of his fingers. He leaned in closer, and spoke to him in a half-whisper.

“So um, do you see that girl with the black hair and pretty eyes?”

_shit._

Of course, he saw her, she was practically the only thing his eyes focused on! _Pretty eyes._ That definitely didn’t stir well with him. He hadn’t noticed his jaws involuntarily clench and his hand balling into a fist. He was merely acting out, over thinking things. That was it, nothing much to it.

“Not trying to sound offensive or something, Haruno-san and your blonde friend are both really attractive, but your friend with the long dark hair? Damn, she is beautiful, gorgeous even.”

This time his fists had fully clenched, although no longer involuntarily. He forced a smile, hesitating to answer his question. It took all of his muscles to turn his gaze towards him and flash him his plastic smile.

“Her name’s Hinata.” He forced another smile, squinting his eyes, hoping to make a good impression.

“Hinata huh, pretty name, suits her.” Haru replied, his eyes now fixed on the girl behind them. He made a lopsided smirk, turning towards him once more, and asked him yet another question.

“She single?”

_Okay, fuck this._

Naruto let out a deep, shaky sigh and hung his head low, no longer meeting his eyes. He placed his hand atop his shoulder and gave it a tight, forceful grip. Forcing another smile to escape from his lips.

“It was nice knowing you.”

And with that, he jogged back towards Sasuke, eyes flashing in disappointment and annoyance.

“So, should I still feel threatened or,” Sasuke pressed, clearly overhearing everything they had just talked about.

“Fuck off.”

* * *

“Oi! Haru guy, are we there yet?” Cried an impatient Kiba, who, along with Naruto and the others, were completely drained and breathless from their long uphill hike. They hadn’t anticipated that their destination towards Hokage Peak was going to turn out this hellish. They had trudged along high roads, swivelled through some tight spaces and skimmed through some suspiciously tall grass fields. Naruto swore he felt a faint touch of slippery scales glide through the bottom of his leg. The memory could still make him shiver on the spot.

2 hours had passed since they left their cabin and had walked an estimate of 12 km as they finally neared Hokage Peak. For the duration of their trek, Naruto had now been more conscious of Hinata than ever before. He constantly found himself walking beside her for their whole trip, fully aware of Haru’s presence. Almost on protective instinct, he stayed closer and gave her 100% of his attention. (As if his attention could be focused on anyone else). Out of the corner of his eye, Haru had been gradually closing in his distance with Hinata. Noticing this, he impulsively wrapped an arm around her petite figure, pulling her closer and holding her firmly. His sudden gesture, however, did earn him few inquisitive looks from his friends, Hinata especially. Call him possessive or whatever, but he had already lost her to some shady guy once, he was not about to lose her again.

“Anddd, here we are!” Haru exclaimed with his arm stretching wide, presenting them the glorious view that was Hokage Peak.

Naruto needed a few more seconds before fully drinking in the sight before him. Patches of green and grey unfurled outwards, like a canvas splayed in front of him with splatters of paint plastered across it. Mountains and hills softly kissed the cotton skies, and an ocean of blue stretched far and high. A whiff of that fresh, crisp scent entered his lungs, lulling his previous tension away and easing the weight on his shoulders. Tranquillity. The mountains welcomed him with open arms.

No later than a second, had Sakura dragged all of them and positioned them for a group photo. A dozen of goofy photos later, and his friends had dispersed and conducted solo or couple photos with each other. Naruto, being the third wheel that he was, took a couple of photos of both Sasuke and Sakura who posed affectionately in front of the camera.

“Now, row 7! C’mon!!!”

Sakura squealed happily as she called out their previous seating arrangement in one of Kakashi-sensei’s class. They had been forced to sit beside each other in History Class, piling them in one table. Then on, they had been inseparable, especially during tests. Naruto, being the only one lazy enough to actually study, engaged in his lousy attempt in cheating, which Sasuke, surprisingly, later on chimed in, since Kakashi’s class was hard as hell. Sakura, being the top achiever that she was, ignored the two troublemakers and continued to focus on her own work, though no moment sooner did she got stuck on one particular question on their semestral test, leaving her no choice but to seek _help_ from his seatmates. Their bond had been strong ever since.

Ino had agreeingly took their shots as they posed non-stop in front of the camera. Naruto’s arm wrapped around Sasuke with Sakura gaily posing in the middle. He had been enjoying his friend’s silly company until his eyes landed on Haru, who had an arm wrapped around _Hinata’s_ shoulder, looking proud as ever, and smiling a triumphant grin.

Simultaneously spotting the two, Ino and Sakura shot Naruto a subtle smirk, almost as if conveying if he were to back down that easily. Naruto, who definitely wasn’t going to back down, trudged towards them, shoulders slightly tensed and a heavy weight pounding against his ribcage. He never adored the idea of seeing Hinata with someone else, but seeing Hinata within the arms of another guy was a whole different story.

“Naruto! We were just taking a friendly picture on my phone and—”

“Hey, Hinata. You uhm, wanna take a picture?” Naruto abruptly intervened before Haru could even finish his sentence and before he could continue to ogle her in broad daylight.

Hinata, being the sweetheart that she is, agreed to his little request and handed Kiba, who took hers and Haru’s picture, to take a similar shot on her phone. Witnessing this, Haru awkwardly dismissed himself and quickly jogged towards the other group.

“Damn, Naruto. Didn’t know you were the jealous type” Kiba sarcastically teased him, almost always pressing his buttons at the wrong time. To which he replied with an annoyed eye roll and focusing his attention once more on Hinata.

“Don’t listen to that mutt. I just uh, wanted a picture of the two us since, y’know, we’re finally friends again.” He explained, pulling her closer to his chest, with the edges of his mouth tugging into his sheepish smile. He playfully ruffled with the crown of her hair and nuzzled his chin atop her head. She giggled and attempted to defend herself by grabbing his wrist and poking his stomach with her other hand. This only fuelled him to play with her further, pulling her tighter until he could only hear muffled noises coming from the chest of his hoodie.

“Eugh, quit flirting. Just let me take a picture of you two so I can barf my guts out.” Kiba scolded the two, positioning Hinata’s phone at an angle where both of them could fit in her screen.

“Kiba-kun!” Hinata called out, an adorable blush gracing her cheeks, with her eyebrows flying to a petty furrow.

“Yeah, yeah. 3, 2, 1; say ‘Naruto’s a dumbass!!’’ This earned him yet another glare from Naruto, though Kiba was left completely unbothered as he continued to click on her screen, presenting them his finished product.

“Naruto looks like a dumbass, which is nothing entirely new. And Hinata looks like an angel, which also isn’t new. You both look cute here, if that’s what you wanted to hear. So, go make this as your couple’s dp or whatever. Bleck, you disgust me.”

Kiba handed them Hinata’s phone and proceeded to run off towards his other friends. Both of them examined the picture before them and immediately noticing the annoyed candid look on Naruto’s face. Horrified, he tried to reach out and grab her phone to delete that hideous picture of him from the face of the earth but Hinata quickly countered and hid her phone in the front of her hoodie.

“Think you’re so slick huh, I’m erasing that photo and you’re giving that phone to me.” He chided, hurriedly snatching her other wrist in attempt to lock her position. Hinata, however was too flexible, as she merely slipped from his grasp and ran farther away from him, phone still buried in her hoodie. She blew a raspberry at him, squinting his eyes and crinkling her nose as if to gloat her victory.

Naruto, who was no stranger at brisk running, dashed towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist before she could escape. His hands snuck its way to the side of her stomach and tickled her relentless. He managed to elicit massive giggles from her, catching her off guard and snagging her phone away from her in mere seconds.

She helplessly tried to snatch it back, though short as she was, she attempted to stand on both her tippy toes and reach her phone at his annoying towering height.

“No fair, I’m not short, you just happen to be _really_ tall!” She attempted to fight back and jumped little leaps to try and snatch her phone away. Yet it was to no avail as Naruto merely pushed her down with one arm, and his other arm was still clinging onto her phone, hovering above his head.

Hinata merely sighed in defeat and stopped midway in attempt to grab her phone back. He levelled with her to rub his victorious grin on her face, but was left stunned as Hinata did the unthinkable.

She reached out a finger and seductively slid it across his jaw, puppy-like eyes as her lips formed an adorable pout. She breathed in before she could press any further and when she spoke, her tone was sultry and inviting.

“Naruto-kun, please…”

It made Naruto’s lungs malfunction that very instant. His knees felt wobbly and sweat trickled down at the sides of his head. The atmosphere became thicker to breathe despite the coolness of the mountain breeze. The air suddenly felt tight.

Everything felt tight.

Even down there felt tight.

In a flash, Hinata snatched her phone away from his weakened grasp and proceeded to flick her screen, observing if their picture was still safe. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as she discovered his hideous picture remained untouched.

“Glad I have a new wallpaper now.” She beamed at him, completely oblivious of the mess of a man she made him into.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than the first one and I'll try to make it consistent that way, since it seemed tedious to read through that long ass chapter. plus, i'm lazy hehe. anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Naruhina flirting, I know I did. I'll make sure to amp up their interactions and make it flirty and fluffy as possible.


	3. An Afternoon with You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy more of our favorite awkward couple flirt even more. 
> 
> *shameless fluff warning*

“This view is… beautiful.”

Hinata whispered under her breath, eyes fixated on the sight before her.

She breathed in the heady amount of crisp air, letting everything soak underneath her gaze. She had never been more at peace than she was now. Her mind; now clearer, her soul; now lighter, and her life; now freer. Freer than ever before. The collar that’s been shackled around her neck was nowhere to be seen. The scars that marred her skin no longer bore the pain it left before. And the loud echoes of doubt and fear, shrunk into a tiny unnoticeable whisper. She was free.

“Mine’s better”

Her head glanced to the source of that voice, only to find those piercing blue eyes meeting her own. Those blue eyes that she swore could rival the stretching sky in front of them. Those eyes that were staring deeply at her, as if studying her from afar.

“We’re looking at the same thing, what are you talking about?” She chuckled at his random comment, then noticing a pensive smirk stretch his lips.

“You sure about that?”

She felt her heart pound painfully, a response to his cheeky little reply. He always made her react this way. Always. She would be lying if she said she never found him attractive, or that she never considered being in love with him.

Was it love?

She couldn’t tell. It did feel like it, yet every time she found herself falling, she stood right back up. Almost always finding him with yet _another_ girl. She never dwelled much into it, at least she _tried_ not to dwell too much about it, she would always refocus her priorities. She didn’t have time to dwell about her silly little heartbreak— or so she convinces herself it to be little— She was the heiress. The future leader of her clan. The right to the throne. And no mere college boy could distract her from this inevitable future.

“You look red” Naruto indicated, poking his finger into the softness of her cheeks.

“I-I am not.” Hinata defended herself and swayed further from him. Attempting to look away from his unyielding gaze.

“Your cheeks look like apples; just makes me want to bite into them.” He teased and snuck his face closer to hers. Her heart raced a million miles per hour. The heat from her face intensifying even more.

Why is he _always_ like this?

_It’s just Naruto being Naruto._

Not entirely surprising. He was always the flirty type. Always the one to come onto any woman at every chance he got.

She tries not to act disappointed about her own realization.

“No one wants to stare at stones all day, forehead!! We’re going to this cool park!” A loud complaint reached her ear, she checked for the sources of this ongoing bickering and found Sakura and Ino going on yet another death match.

“Those caves are ancient and beautiful, just read the reviews! Plus, we’ve already passed it on our way here. The adventure park is like another 5 km away.” Sakura rebutted.

“Better that than be surrounded with some old rocks” Ino defended as she rolled her eyes and kept her arms crossed in front of her.

“They’re not old, they’re _historical”_

They went on like this for another minute or so, exchanging blows and insults, just to prove which destination they should head onto next.

The two paused for a short second and turned their heads towards the confused tour guide, clearly not wanting to be a part of their nonsensical fighting.

“You’re the guy-in-charge, aren’t you? Why don’t you tell this pig we should just head to the caves since it’s closer and much relaxing than some damn park” Sakura called him out angrily.

“Yeah, if you wanna die of boredom. What the hell are we gonna do there anyway?!” Ino retorted, her face full of annoyance for her pink-haired friend.

“I-I’m just your tour guide, I only guide you on t-this trip” Haru spoke up, both hands raised in front of him as if to defend himself

Naruto looked back and forth between the two, and Hinata could make out the amused grin plastered on his lips.

“I think I should help out on this one.” He turned to her and replied, a cheeky grin still visible. He headed straight towards the bickering duo and lightly tapped Haru on the shoulder, signalling him that he was going to take over as their referee. Haru shot him a grateful look and quickly backed away to avoid more of their onslaught bickering. He turned around and caught a glimpse of Hinata from the corner of his eye, he wasted no time and jogged towards the lonely girl.

“I’m sorry, my friends aren’t normally this aggressive. I think they’re simply tired.” Hinata stated as he made his way towards her side.

“Nah, I’m fine. They’re really cool people. I kinda enjoy spending time with your friend – and you” He then beamed at her with his eyes all cheery and grateful.

She was definitely flattered.

“Sorry about the picture. I uh… didn’t mean to make your boyfriend mad.” Haru spoke up and broke the evident silence between them.

_Boyfriend?_

She had one a few weeks ago, which she never enjoyed bringing up.

Hinata looked perplexed. When had she ever mentioned about having a boyfriend? “You must be mistaken Haru-san, I d-don’t recall ever claiming that I had a _boyfriend”_ She defended herself then tried her best to hide the suppressing blush on her cheeks.

He, in return, looked just as flustered as she did. “Wait, you don’t? You mean Naruto isn’t your boyfriend?” He interrogated, making her cheeks flush redder.

_Naruto… her boyfriend…?_

A distant reality.

She shook her head then flashed an embarrassed smile at him. “No, no. He’s only a precious friend, really. Very over protective sometimes, don’t let his actions get to your head.” _Like how it got to mine._

“Oh! I… um… Ah this is awkward. I really thought he was your boyfriend and all, seeing as how jealous he got when we took that picture.” He chuckled lightly then glanced at her once again, as if assessing her reaction.

“So, you’re single?”

“You know what, the caves sound just fine. Oii, Haru! You’re the tour guide aren’t ya? Haul your ass over here and tour us.” Naruto promptly turned towards their direction, and gestured Haru to get in front and lead them. Naruto jogged closer to the two and momentarily patted Haru from behind and peered at him with a toothy grin.

“How about you start leading us the way, huh buddy? I don’t think Sakura can wait any longer.” He patted his back yet again, only this time he seemed to have applied more pressure into it. And although he placed it on perfectly, Hinata could definitely notice the forced grin glued on his lips.

Haru nodded awkwardly and proceeded to call out everyone to pursuit route. Though he did seem tenser than before. Poor guy, it must be the way Naruto put on such a faked act in front of him. She merely frowned at her blonde friend and gave him a disapproving look.

“What? Why’re you pouting like that?” He asked all innocently, his forced smile was now nowhere to be seen.

“Do you hate him for some reason? He’s actually quite kind if you give him a chance.” She replied, and motioned her feet to follow her friends.

Naruto, on the other hand, stopped mid track and merely shot her a look of disappointment, his hands all crossed in front of him and his head shaking sidewards, with a series of tsks escaping his mouth.

He closed the distance between them and focused his attention onto her. “Hinata,” he said sternly. “You do know that he’s only being kind to you cuz he likes you, right?”

Well, that didn’t sound right. Haru was a nice guy. How could he mistake Haru’s kindness for amorous affection? Naruto was definitely not thinking straight.

“You’re being silly. Haru’s a good guy and he hasn’t shown any sort of romantic interest towards me. We were simply talking, is all.” She defended, clearly amused by his childish interpretations.

He continued to shake his head even more. “Hinata, the guy clearly has the hots for you. _How_ can you not see that?” He pressed even further, no longer paying attention on the road ahead.

She blushed at his teasing. “He does not have the… _‘the hots’_ for me! Y-you’re being ridiculous!”

“Oh, _I’m_ being ridiculous?” He said in a mocked tone, hand on his chest as if he was hurt from the accusation. “I’m a guy, of course I know these things. He asked to take a picture with you, and asked if you were single, _twice!”_

Why did this bother him so much?!

“People ask me if I’m single _all the time!_ Whenever I’m out by myself one or two men and women ask me that question almost _every time._ How do their actions equate to them having feelings for me?” She defended, silently wanting to shift to another topic. Why was this so important for him anyway? People around her were always nice to her! How was Haru any different?

Naruto’s eyes widen at her sudden comment, utterly shocked by her confession. “Wait, people ask you if you’re _single?_ God, Hinata how, _how_ are you this—”

“This what?” Now, she was annoyed. Honestly, she’d rather have a conversation about her recent school project than this awkward topic.

“Tch, you know what. You wouldn’t know if a guy liked you unless he hit you on the head.” He pressed even more, but despite his scolding, she couldn’t help but notice a hint of desolation hidden in his words. She decided to ignore it.

“What do you mean _if it hit me on the head?_ ” She questioned, not entirely satisfied with his argument. He didn’t answer and proceeded to ignore her and her questions.

“Excuse me, sir but I am _talking_ to you!”

Annoyed by his silence, she stopped in front of him and blocked his pathway, impatiently demanding for an answer. Her hands stretched out from both her sides, not allowing him to walk any further. She looked him straight in the eye, hopefully to find a good enough answer. Why was he this pressed? Why does it matter? Why does it matter to _him?_ What the hell did he mean by ‘ _unless it_ —

He hit her on the head.

“W-what?! _Ow_. T-that hurt!” Not really, only a light blow, almost a pat. Though his hands are huge and the pressure was still there.

Naruto turned to her; his tone unimpressed. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Did that tell you something?” He asked, almost annoyed.

“Tell me what?”

He playfully rolled his eyes, continuing to ignore her and followed their friends.

“Heyyy, don’t ignore me.” Hinata followed along, endlessly annoying him with her teasing. She tried harder to capture his attention, tugging at his shirt, pinching his cheeks, nuzzling her face on his sleeve yet it wasn’t enough. He still proceeded to continuously ignore her and her antics. However, she knew very well that he was clearly amused for she could make out that tiny little arc forming on his lips. He could never hide that grin from her even from a mile away.

She came to familiarize those edges of his lips and how they’d stretched whenever he was happy. Or how his eyes would light up with even the slightest hint of mirth. She could read him like an open book.

His smile had always been her favorite.

“You hit me in the head the and ignore me altogether? Wow, how utterly rude of you. I never thought you would stoop this low.” She pressed, already becoming antsy from his silence.

“You _hit_ Hinata?!” Kiba, who seemed to have overheard her statement, made his way closer to Naruto and punched him in the shoulder.

“What the fuck, Kiba?!”

Now, she has his attention.

“Ahh, Kiba-kun, it was only a light smack, he didn’t really hit me that hard, I was—”

“What the hell, Naruto?! You hit _Hinata?”_ Now it would seem Ino and Sakura have joined in their conversation. They too, smacked Naruto on the shoulder, although Sakura had hit him the hardest, causing him to yelp and rub at his injured arm.

Naruto shot them a devious look. “W-what?! I didn’t _hit_ her! Well, okay maybe I did, but it was like nothing serious and— Ow! The fuck is wrong with you?!”

“You hit _Hinata._ Of all people!” Sakura stated, as if it was more than enough to justify her hard punch.

“Yeah, you don’t just hit _Hinata_!” Ino pressed further.

“I was joking!” Naruto defended.

“You are sick in the head, Uzumaki. _Sick”_ Kiba emphasized, while wrapping one arm around Hinata to protect her.

Hinata, on the other hand, was quite self-satisfied with her friends rushing to her aid. It made her feel saintly and almighty.

“Hinata, are you alright?” Haru came closer and placed one hand on Hinata’s shoulder. This gesture made her reflect on their discussion with Naruto a little earlier, though she quickly dismissed it.

“She’s fine. She doesn’t need your help.” And with that, Naruto dragged Hinata by the hand and pulled her towards him. He motioned her in front of them and rubbed her head, emphasizing to everyone that she was left unscathed by his supposed hit.

“She’s fine, alright? We were just playing. Now quit whining, jeez.”

All four of his friends gave him a look of accusation, not entirely believing him in the least. They all gave him a final glare and dismissed the matter at hand, proceeding on foot towards their destination.

Hinata looked up at the blonde behind him, grinning menacingly at her little achievement. At least she has his attention.

Haru took one final step down on the stairs and lead his group towards the interior of the cave.

It wasn’t as sightly as what they had witnessed up on Hokage Peak yet the ambience of the Iwagakure Caves was entirely different. Despite the dark shadows that crept in every corner, a glint of light penetrated through the entrance, refracting on the water and bouncing up on the rough surfaces of the walls. The walls gleamed like diamonds and the ceiling cascading teardrops of stone hovering above them. It was a secluded area, nevertheless it looked just as beautiful as Sakura had described.

As they trudged deeper into the caves, Hinata heard Naruto whistle in awe, completely mesmerized by the sight of the cave.

“It’s pretty” She complimented, looking around and admiring the lights dancing in the clear blue spring.

Kiba scoffed at her response “Pfft, pretty dull if you ask me. What are we supposed to be doing here anyway?” He asked, clearly unimpressed.

They came across a few tourists, who too were enjoying the alluring beauty of Iwagakure Caves.

“Well, uhm if it makes it any better, this cave actually has a really cool myth behind it” Haru attempted to lighten the mood. He looked around as if gathering his grandchildren to tuck them in for a goodnights sleep.

“Lay it on us” Ino replied and glared menacingly at Sakura whom she still was annoyed at for dragging them into this cave.

Haru dug his hands into the pocket of his shorts and smiled lightly before beginning his story. “So, you know how most origin stories go right? Well, this particular story is actually a love story that happened a really long time ago.” He explained, hoping to attract attention from the group.

Sakura looked eager, while the other three merely rolled their eyes in annoyance, not wanting to engage in any more of this borefest. Sasuke didn’t seem to care and Hinata was definitely curious.

“It was said that a princess of high royal blood fell madly in love with her common servant. The two were unprohibited to be together since their status would simply break them apart. Forbidden lovers, if you will.” Haru narrated, engrossed in his little storytelling.

The three continued to groan, hoping this cliché tale would come to an end as soon as it started.

“Since their love had to be hidden from everyone around them, they too decided to stay hidden, in hopes of their love prosper in the shadows.” He continued, completely ignoring their uninterested looks.

“The two lovers then fled to these mountains, hid for as long as they needed to, just so they could be together. But their full proof plan wasn’t entirely full proof when the princess’s father; the King, found out about their affair and where they had been hiding. He went batshit and ordered his guards to blow up every mountain near their kingdom just to wreak havoc on their little ploy.”

This caught their interest for a short while, Naruto listening more eagerly than he was a minute ago.

“That’s fucking stupid” Kiba commented

“And unrealistic, who the hell blows up _mountains?”_ Ino continued, still unimpressed by his story telling. Hinata, like the sweetheart that she was, listened intently at him just so she could prove to Haru that he wasn’t at all doing a bad job as their tour guide.

“Long story short, this particular mountain got blown up to the ground and within the explosion, rocks fell around them, locking them up and separating the other from their lover. A great wall of boulders and debris blocked them from each other. They became stuck in these caves, _for all eternity._ ”

_What a love story,_

“Legend has it, that they still roam around these caves in search for their lost soulmate and if someone were to ever come near their orbit, they wouldn’t hesitate for a split second before dragging their victim’s soul, and using them to compensate for the lonely years they’ve suffered without their lover. The end.” Haru ended his storytelling with a cocky smirk.

Their group froze on the spot, clearly loss at words from his little _love_ story. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine, now particularly more conscious of her surroundings.

Kiba was the first one to break from their little spell and guffawed without pausing. “That’s fucking gold, man! At least this princess can finally get me laid. It’s been a while!”

“Kiba! You sick bastard!” Ino slapped the edge of his shoulders and glared at him with disgust. Naruto glared at him just as menacingly yet his eyes shifted to the shivering girl beside him. A smirk escaped his lips.

He placed one arm on her tiny shoulder. “So, you feel like going ghost hunting?” He whispered in her ear, close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath linger against her skin.

This caused her to shiver even more.

Naruto noticed her sudden change in aura and decided to press her even further, clearly enjoying the effect he had on her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed her closer to him and let out a cocky chuckle. “Awww, is wittle Hinata scared of the wittle ghosts?” He teased, playfully lacing his fingers on her hair.

“Would it make you feel better if someone as big and strong as me, would promise to protect you from the wittle ghosts?” He teased further.

She rolled her eyes and giggled, slowly pulling away from his grasp, only to be tugged back closer to him. She looked up, unimpressed, and tried her hardest to suppress her growing blush. Though she was merely replied with one of his toothy grins and squinted eyes.

“You know what guys? Hinata and I decided we’d go on a little ghost hunting, and try to see if we’d be napped by them or not.” He bantered, his whiskered cheeks tugging more on the edges of his smile.

“W-what?! I-I never, I don’t— Naruto-kun!” She scolded him –at least attempted to scold him.

“Well, if you get lost in the caves or you know, worst case scenario, actually _die._ Just make sure Hina gets safe, that’s the only thing that’s important.” Sakura retorted.

Naruto flicked a finger at her and proceeded to ignore the rest of his friends annoying replies, then dragged Hinata farther from their group to finally explore the depths of the caves and begin their little _ghost hunting._

Hinata momentarily pushed herself from his grasp and walked further into the caves side by side.

“Hey, I think this wall is made out of skulls.” He announced.

She gulped.

“Yup, these are definitely rotten dead bodies” He continued.

Deciding that she no longer wanted any more of his morbid jokes, she went on her own pathway though not that far enough from Naruto’s range. Naruto attempted to pull her back but she deflected him by just an inch and playfully ran towards the other side, turning her head around and leaving him with a victorious glint in her eye.

Hinata glanced around, continuing to observe the walls in front of her. If she squinted just enough, the walls did resemble skulls and bones but she was not in the mood to entertain that idea. She traced her fingers on the rough surface of the stoned cave, feeling every detail, every history and every story it narrated. Somehow, the bumps and patterns the rocks displayed on its surface could each tell a unique story on its own, conveying their different origins and the people who have once visited the cavern.

Too engrossed with the feel of its roughness on her skin, she hadn’t notice the massive spiderweb blocking her path, causing her to walk right into and get stuck on the strands of her hair.

Thankfully, the web hadn’t been inhabited.

She shrieked from the shock, completely disgusted by the silky, sticky feel of the spiderweb on her skin. Also, a little bit paranoid of the sudden arrival of the owner to that web.

Her scream hadn’t been left unheard though, with Naruto calling out her name and swiftly dashing to her side. He seemed flustered and concerned, and without hesitation, turned his eyes towards hers, locking them in place.

“Hey, are you fine?” He asked

She continued to busy herself with the web still glued to her hair. Its consistency felt disgusting and the idea of possible baby spiders residing in her hair, creeped her to the bone.

“It’s just a spider web, nothing serious” She defended.

He quickly caught on and decided to help with her sticky situation. He gently plucked any trace of web residues from each of her strands, and unbeknownst to her, he was carefully enjoying the subtle feel of the silkiness of her tresses on his calloused fingers. He went silent for a while and as each second passed, it made Hinata begin to worry a little.

“Holy fuck” He exclaimed out of nowhere. His reaction only heightened her worries even more.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Holy crap, I actually see it. Fuck, Hinata. What do I do?” He asked even further, now becoming more and more frantic for whatever reason.

“W-what’s wrong?” She asked shakily.

He hesitantly let go of her hair and breathed deeply. “Okay, okay hear me out. Don’t freak out.” His hands on both sides of her shoulders.

Now, she felt like freaking out.

“But there’s a spider in your hair.”

_A spider…_

_…In my hair_

It took her quite a while before registering his words but as soon as it did, she jumped, shrieked and frantically waved her hands on the topside of her hair. Her heart beat became erratic and she could feel the volume of her voice escape from the back of her throat.

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down.” Naruto said rather too cheekily.

“Calm down?? There’s a spider in my hair!!W-what if it bites me! Or, or secretes its venom into my b-brain. W-what if its poison seeps through, then injecting me with, with neurotoxins! And—"

Without anticipating it, she was flat on his chest, his hand caressing her back. Hinata then noticed the tips of his fingers combing through her hair and repeatedly smoothing it in a soothing motion. Petting her as if a tamed animal. It was relaxing. The feel of his calloused fingers on the back of her crown was relaxing. The reassurance of his warmth pressed onto her was relaxing.  
He was… relaxing.

She bathed on his warmth for a few moments more, completely surrendering to his light petting. It was all too foreign for her. The safety and security a single person could emanate with just a simple touch of his hands was an idea completely foreign to her. The touches she was more familiar with were… forceful and inflicting, yet his; his touches were _different._ Her mind involuntarily redirected to some awful memories but were quickly pushed away as she sank deeper into the comfort of his chest. His hand still lingering over her silky mane.

“Your hair’s really soft.” He commented.

His voice broke her from her trance, suddenly remembering the problem at hand.

“I-is the spider still there?” She asked, her voice still faltering.

“What?” He asked, confusion vivid on his tone.

She looked up at him, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed and stared straight at him with scrutiny.

“The spider. That you saw. In my hair.” She emphasized each point, not leaving his eyes for even a second.

His eyes lit up almost instantly. “Oh! That spider! Haha, y-yeah, it’s gone now, I got rid of it” He said nonchalantly.

Her look of scrutiny didn’t even move an inch, “Was there _really_ a spider, Naruto-kun?”

She noticed him swallowing a gulp. “T-there isn’t one now.” He answered.

Without hesitation –or maybe a _slight_ hesitation – she moved away from him, crossing her arms in front of her, glaring at him from a distance.

“Where. Is. The. Spider, Naruto-kun?” She interrogated further.

He opened his mouth but before he could answer, she heard her friends call them out.

“Oi, Naruto!! We saw how you hug her and shit! You better not be harassing her, you horny fuck!” Kiba proudly shouted.

“Fuck off! You’re the horny fuck! And, no, I didn’t harass her. What the hell do you take me for, Dog Shit?!?” Naruto pressed back.

“Stop fucking cursing! There are other people here too, you know!” Ino reprimanded the two and dragged Kiba by the ear. She led her dog-loving friend up to the stair case and shot back at them.

“We’re gonna prepare for lunch at the top. Sasuke and Sakura are still here somewhere doing whatever the fuck they’re doing. So, the four of you better come up once we call you.” She explained. “And Haru’s already up there so you don’t have to worry about competition.” Promptly ending her bantering with a little side wink and an annoyed Kiba by the end of her wrist.

Naruto yelled a word of thanks and faced Hinata once more, slightly unprepared for her lashing out. He braced himself yet before he could continue, Hinata lightly slapped the front of his hoodie, giggling to herself in a childlike way.

“You and Kiba-kun fight like cats and dogs,” She continued to giggle. “And don’t worry, I’m not mad with your dirty little trick. Upset, maybe but not entirely.” She beamed at him with a subtle grin.

“So, how about we continue our little ghost hunt, shall we?” Hinata invited him and dragged him by the elbow, pulling him towards another corner of the cave.

The rest of the afternoon wasn’t as agitating as their moment a while ago, yet she did admittedly enjoy it. Their little “ _ghost hunting”_ had nothing to do with the _hunting_ nor did it involve _ghosts._ During their expenditure, Hinata hade made a quite pleasing discovery, that Naruto was just as (if not, _more)_ scared of the concept of ghost than she was.

They spent their explorations through talking and catching up with everything that had passed, no one to bother them or tease them about acting like a love-dovey couple. They acted the way they did a few months back; like best friends, and nothing needed to change about that.

_Right?_

Despite their platonic atmosphere, she couldn’t help but feel Naruto’s lingering stares and _accidental_ touches that he would _accidentally_ brush on her, whether it was her shoulder, her arms, her neck and sometimes her cheeks. If someone else were to have an abrupt contact with her skin, she would normally flinch or evade, or maybe even begin traumatizing over every little detail from the memories that left her.

But Naruto’s; Naruto’s touches were soothing, tender. Gentle. He never touched her on anywhere in appropriate, only playful brushes and light pats on her head or her cheeks. And she was more than welcome to accommodate each of them.

Ino had just announced that Lunch was ready and they more than happy to oblige. Their tummies were starving!

And on their way to the stoned stairs, they hadn’t noticed they’ve travelled too far off into the caves, leaving only the two of them at that dark corner. The walls became rougher and the rocks were molded sharper, with cracks and crevices present on their pathway. They dodged and jumped from any stone obstacle and managed to retreat safely.

Until they came in contact with a rather steep ditch by the side of the spring. They were too engrossed in each other’s conversations; they hadn’t noticed they took a few U-turns and routes on their way back to the stairs. Thankfully, it wasn’t all to wide and was just enough for both of them to jump over with.

Naruto took the first leap and immediately shifted his attention back to Hinata, waiting for her on the other side. Hinata breathed a good amount of fresh air and leaped right after him. She had managed to jump over towards him, but because of being cursed for being too damn short, her heel slipped at the edges and before she could fall back, Naruto quickly took a grab on her waist and pulled her in by the palm of her hand. 

Their position was rather… intimate.

And they had stayed that way for a few seconds more.

Not that she minded, he was warm and smelled nice and she always relished the feeling of being close to him.

Just when she thought she was used to his touches, the feel of his wide hands on her tiny ones felt… new. Inviting. Comforting.

He always felt comforting.

“Ahhh, sorry. I um couldn’t let you fall, ya’know?” He reluctantly let go of her then rubbed the back of his nape with his now free hand. A little hint of blush lightly grazed his cheeks.

She shook her head in disapproval “Oh, no worries. I’m glad you caught me. I could’ve been stuck in the ditch if you hadn’t” She giggled to lighten the mood.

He giggled in response and looked down at his left hand that once took hold of her right one. He looked back at her and grinned cheekily. “Your hands are really tiny.” He teased.

“N-no they are not! Yours are just too big!” She defended, holding up her hands in front of him as if to flaunt the ‘non tininess’ of her petite hands.

“Oh? What about me is big?” He let out a smirk, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction.

Now it was her turn to blush profusely.

“Y-your hands! Your hands, are what’s _‘big’_ ” She defended, not liking the topic of their conversation one bit.

“You know what else is big about me?” His smirk wider than ever. Her blush redder than before.

“Clearly not your brain, if that’s what you’re asking.” She let out a groan and headed towards the stone staircase, leaving him behind to avoid any more of their ludicrous conversation.

He let out chuckle and jogged beside her. “Ouch. Did Sakura teach you that or something? What happened to the saint Hinata who doesn’t speak badly towards others? Or the Virgin Mary Hinata who—”

“We should eat, I’m getting hungry” She cut him off before he could tease her any further, quickening her steps towards the top of the staircase.

Nearing the staircase, she looked back and still noticed his cheeky little grin. He then followed behind her towards the picnic their friends had prepared.

“Took you long enough. The hell were you doing down there?” Kiba demanded, already setting aside his own share of chicken on his plate.

They propped down on the blanket set above the grass with their food being splayed in front of them, and plates of curry, glazed chicken, and other simmered dishes adorning their picnic. Mouth-watering aroma heightened their hunger. Their group chatted and idled away as they lavished in the mid noon glow. Trees of green watched over their little picnic and crisp noon breeze submerged in their lungs. The air was light, their smiles all genuine. She felt happy. Contented. Happier than she had been in a really long time. 

They continued their banters and teased each other relentlessly with Naruto sometimes being the subject of their bullying. She laughed along with them, not having a single care in the world. At least that was until her breath hitched for just a moment.

Whilst in the middle of their endless teasing, a light caress brushed her finger, catching her completely off guard. An unknown electricity surged through her as the light touch continuously stroked the side of her thumb. Carefully and delicately, the butterfly touches lingered on her skin, and a silent plea of her not wishing it to end echoed in the back of her head.

“Your hands are reallyyy tiny, y’know”

Abashed, she gazed at that cocky grin that stretched on whiskered cheeks and gave him a scrutinizing look, quickly detaching her hand from his skittish hand.

A vibrant pink blush graced her cheeks. “W-wha- Why do you keep _doing_ that?” She asked, her voice a little shaky from embarrassment.

“Doing what?” One eyebrow rose in amusement and a visible smirk was glued on his face.

She tucked a hair behind her ear as heat continued to crept its way all over her face. Red blushes adorned her cheeks and she couldn’t help but feel so terribly small beside him.

_Just Naruto being Naruto._

She repeated to herself once again.

Being friends with him for so long, she was well-aware of how verbal and confident he would get whenever he was in the presence of another woman.

She would know; she had to painfully endure the experience for the past years.

His little acts of flirtation towards her never got to her head though – at least _sometimes_ it didn’t– for she was smart enough to know that his actions were purely out of amusement, masculine instinct, and the desire to see her flustered.

So, she decided to lift an eyebrow in return.

Witnessing this, his smirk hadn’t seemed to disappear, although only growing wider by the minute.

“Acting a little sassy, aren’t we?” He teased further, that cocky smirk now stretching from ear to ear.

She playfully rolled her eyes in response and stuffed both her hands within the hem of her sweater. She inched a bit further away from him, noting the small gap growing between them.

Naruto chuckled at her actions “Hey, hey, where do you think you’re going?” He scooted closer to her, with both arms stretched out towards her, a failed attempt in catching her by her waist.

However, he didn’t give up that easily, he slid closer to her side, fingers ready for his next attack and a wide grin present on his lips.

“What are you—”

Before she could finish, Naruto tackled her with his fingers, tickling both sides of her waist, reaching out to the opening on her neck and relentlessly attacking her with more endless tickles. 

Hinata guffawed, utterly breathless, her mind in slight haze, and her mouth spewing a frenzy of words and insults towards her attacker. She attempted to slide far away from his, dragging her body from the annoying assault of his fingers. She blocked his hands from the entrance on her neck closing the distance between her jaw and her shoulder.

His hands were unforgiving and apparently, so was he.

His smile was a crime and she could feel herself falling victim to it every time he flashed it.

His laughter was a symphony she could listen on repeat.

And his touch was welcoming.

Gentle.

Soothing.

Safe.

“Ha, ha! Na-ruto! S-stop… That!” She pleaded.

“Stop what?” 

_Oh, this guy._

“S-stop itttt!”

He tickled even further.

Her cackles only grew louder than before.

“Ehem”

Their heads snapped towards that dry, yet stern cough and noticed _so many eyes_ glued onto them.

“Oh! Are we interrupting something?” Ino asked with her voice coated in blatant sarcasm.

“Yeah, wouldn’t wanna bother… whatever the fuck you two are doing.” Kiba retorted.

“You’re just jealous you haven’t been laid in a while. I think they’re cute, though.” Sakura defended.

“Fucking idiot” Sasuke muttered under his breath; a lopsided grin appeared on his features.

The two slowly turned towards each other, silently assessing what they needed to do next. Hinata, being the awkward, lovable person that she was, blushed immensely. Her cheeks redder than roses and fumes of heat gushing from the top of her crown. Naruto swore he could see steam pumping out of her ears.

She looked adorable. And he could feel a tight grip on his chest.

A wide smile crept on his lips and in that moment, he fell in love with her even more.

She glanced towards him and noticed the toothy grin he beamed at her.

The apples of his whiskered cheeks more emphasized than before, and the squint in his eyes curved upwards with pure delight.

He looked so cute with that favorite smile of hers.

She beamed in return, and without planning it; she inevitably fell for him all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didya catch the lil reference I did? heh. I've always wanted to do a little modern version of The Last, but I have no idea how I could innovate it. So, I just took out one of my favorite scenes and added some teasing, Naruto shamelessly flirting and an even flustered Hina. Anyhoo, I hoped you enjoyed more Nh domestic fluff. Thank you for all your kudos, comments and for sparing some of your time in reading this!! Can't wait to post the next chap! (this is one of my personal faves X))


	4. Night games

Night time had dawned upon them after a plethora of laughter, banters and jokes were tossed around in their youthful ambience. Wide grins stretched from ear to ear and incessant chuckles echoed into the night.

After the group had settled with their picnic, they traversed once more towards the green and secluded meadows, basking in the fresh coated breeze. They trekked and treaded in the high terrain, their tour guide leading their expenditure as they continued to be soaked in nature’s fine bosom.

The day had eventually come to an end, with them being separated from their tour guide and immediately headed straight towards their own cabin. As soon as they arrived, their bodies fell flat on their couches, leg cramps and muscle strains covering them from head to toe. A few of them complained non-stop and exchanged insults here and there.

Hinata, being the sweetheart that she was, ignored her friends’ antics and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare them a hearty meal for dinner.

Sakura had got up from her crouching position and set out the table, assigning Naruto – since he was first one to pass out lifeless in front of them – to man the dishes once they were finished.

Expectantly, he hadn’t accepted the news very peacefully but with one simple beam and a plead from Hinata, Naruto was more than willing to oblige.

All six of them sat in comfortable silence, busying themselves with the delicious food in front of them, until Kiba broke the quiet and excused himself from the table.

“I know what we should do.” He said this with a smirk and headed straight towards the hallway, disappearing from sight. They merely shrugged off his weird behaviour and proceeded to ignore him while continuing to indulge their meal.

Yet before they could finish, Kiba had returned with a 12 pack of canned beer heavily planted on top of their dinner table.

His grin grew wider until they could notice his visible canine teeth stretching completely sidewards.

“Soo~ how ‘bout it, eh?” He persuaded, sparing each of them a mischievous glance.

Sakura cleared her throat in response, “We still need to be early tomorrow. Put it away.”

“Boooo, fuckin killjoy, c’mon forehead, just one drink won’t hurt ya” Ino retorted, a noticeable grin stretched as wide as Kiba’s

“Plus, there’s hella lot more back in my room.” Kiba grinned ever so proudly.

“Hmm, tempting” Naruto then flung his arm around Sasuke, as if to garner his approval and persuade him further. Though, he simply “Hn’ed” in response, along with a subtle smirk sneakily appearing on his lips.

Oh, they had him.

“Ahh…. If you all really want to, I could wash the dishes so that all of you may participate.” While slowly picking up the empty dishes, Hinata requested this and looked at them with pleading eyes.

She was never one to drink, nor was she allowed to even grasp a single pint of beer, let alone look at it!

Her father never prohibited her to engage in such activities, he eyed her like a hawk and demanded pure behaviour out of her. She had a title to uphold after all.

“What? No way are you washing the dishes! That’s Naruto’s job!” Sakura replied aggressively

“ _Crap didn’t think you’d remember…”_ He mumbled under his breath, “It’s fine Hina, I can clean the dishes for you, s’all good” He then flashed her that signature grin of his that unfailingly sent flutters to her stomach.

“So, it’s settled then?!” Kiba blurted out, looking towards Sakura– being the doting mother of their group –and sought for her approval.

Sakura blatantly rolled her eyes and let out a deep huff of frustration, a little smirk stretched her lips.

“Fine!”

And so, they all huzzahed in response.

“But! Only if Naruto is done with the dishes– _then_ you can fool around.” She added.

Naruto was about to protest until he felt a light hand wrap around his arm. He glanced at the petite girl beside him and beamed in delight.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you wash up” Hinata responded with gentle smile and momentarily picked up the dishes to place it atop the sink. Naruto followed along and began wiping their table for any traces of muck or leftovers greasing the surface. As he did this, all 4 of his friends eyed him with full-on amusement, not even trying to suppress their own smug smiles.

“What?” He demanded

“Oh, nothing. I just find it funny how Hinata; our sweet, _sweet_ Hinata, can turn you into a helpless little puppy without even trying.” With her face scrunched up into a puppy-eyed pout, Ino mocked him, leaving every ounce of sarcasm heavy on her words.

Sakura nodded along, and for once since being on this trip, had openly _agreed_ with _Ino._ She beamed a motherly smile and exaggerated her actions further by dramatically wiping a tear from her eye.

“My idiot friend is finally a man now.” She whimpered, still wiping her invisible tears.

Ignoring their remarks, he continued to wipe the table and awaited Hinata to pull him away from this drama fest to begin in washing up the dishes. And to his prayers, she waddled towards his side, picked up the rest of their utensils and brought it straight towards the sink.

Their friends had finally ended their comical teasing and prepared the stacks of canned beer in the space of their living room. Excitedly waiting on them to finish up so they could now start drinking the living shit out of themselves.

Both Naruto and Hinata had begun cleaning the dishes, steadily finding a rhythm and momentum to their process. Naruto first rinses the plates from any residues then passing it on to Hinata for her to soap it off and stacked it on the side. He’d then rinse it once again and dry it up completely.

Their systematic pairing had gone on for quite a minute or so, with a comfortable silence enveloping them during their chore. Hinata didn’t voice it out, but she had to admit that even with the simplistic action of washing the dishes together caused her a great amount of joy and comfort.

Even in the mundane of activities, did she still find herself falling harder for him.

In the silence, he too, stole some glances at her. Her hair was in a low bun and he could make out the angular stretch of her delicate jaw all the way to the plush of her lips. Her profile was in clear sight and he had the impulse to bend down and trace the outline with his lips.

How was it, that even by simply _washing the dishes¸_ was she still this beautiful?

“Awww…. You two look like a married couple!” Ino exclaimed, completely out of nowhere. Her hands clasped with one another and figurative hearts gushed from her eyes.

Both their cheeks graced a visible pink.

“Pfft, I don’t wanna see it nor do I care for it. Hurry the hell up already! I wanna get wasted, dammit!” Kiba cried out all the way from the living room.

Still in utter embarrassment, they picked up the pace a bit and hurriedly organized the dishes once they’ve finished. They completely dried off and without a second to spare, dashed towards the living room to drink to their liver’s content.

* * *

“Fuckkk yeahhh!!!!”

Ino shrieked from the top of her lungs, and unceremoniously dry humped the pillows on the sofa.

All of them were beet red, the influence of the alcohol surged through their veins, dominated their senses and took control of every nerve in their brains.

To say that they were drunk was an understatement.

Music blared from their speakers and not one of them planned on lowering the volume.

Sweat and heat engulfed them whole.

Coherence and coordination completely abandoned them.

Hearts were erratic, pounding loudly against their chests.

And the potent smell of that intoxicated scent flared through their nostrils.

“Lezz play a gamee!!” Exclaimed a drunk Sakura.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I likee gamess.” Roughly bobbing her head, Ino raised her can of beer and agreed with her proposal.

Her friends were completely beyond saving yet she didn’t mind it in the least. Hinata did have one or two drinks and there;

And yes, the alcohol was taking control of her system

Yes, she felt _a little_ tipsy

Yes, she was bolder than ever before albeit not entirely but her confidence definitely upped a notch.

And importantly, _yes,_ she was undoubtedly lightweight plus her petite body did need some _few_ adjustments to the liquor,

But was she complaining?

Not in the least.

_Suck it dad!_

She felt freer.

More alive.

Ironically, more in control with her life than she had ever been in her entire years of existence.

It felt as if she could stand up and proudly walk right up to a certain blonde and kiss the living fuck out of—

“Whaddya have in mind, kitty?” Purred a drunk as hell Kiba –probably the drunkest of the bunch. He said this with sultry slip of his finger sliding beneath Ino’s chin.

“Fuck off, mutt. I may be drunk but I still ain’t railing you.” She hissed back.

“Aww, C’mon! We’re the only single people in this group but I still can’t get laid?!?” He blurted.

Ino laughed manically. “Fuck no! Even if we were the last people on earth and we were forced to propagate and restore its population, I’d still kill myself and let the fate of the earth die along with me.” She explained, a little rather too fluently…

“Fuck you!” Kiba lashed out.

“As if I’d let you!” And with that, Ino flung her hair from her shoulders stood up to take her ceremonious bow of victory.

Hinata chuckled at her friends’ comical actions, the influence of the alcohol only making their theatrics more entertaining. She laughed hearty chuckles and could feel her stomach begging for rest, her laughter never once ceased from her mouth. She felt light! Free!

At least that was until she felt her breath hitch.

Completely opposite to the incessant energy surging within her, a calming aura sheathed her tiny hand.

Her eyes traced the source of that warmth and there she spotted a tanned hand resting atop her own.

Unlike on their picnic, this hand of his hadn’t limited his actions to light petting. No, this sensation, _his_ sensation, was all too different.

With her hand splayed on the wooden floor, a wider, more calloused one wrapped itself around hers, completely unguarded and without restraint. She noted how he held onto her without a hint of forceful pull, but with a calmer albeit electrifying touch.

She didn’t move it an inch.

She continued to rest it there and welcomed his hand with full ardor.

And, possibly driven by the power of alcohol, scooted an inch, two inches, three? – _many inches_ closer towards the owner of said hand. 

“Hi.”

She beamed at him from the frame of her bangs, a slight tint of pink glazed her cheeks. Even in the state of being utterly drunk did he still render her speechless.

“Hey” Naruto replied, a bright grin pinched his cheeks.

They sat that way for a minute longer, listening back and forth at their friends’ on going bickering. Until Sakura, who clung onto Sasuke like a leech, bellowed out to grab their attention.

“Shutt itt!! Let’s just fucking play alreadyy” She insisted. Her arm embarrassingly too close around her lover, who had no plans of protesting. He too, was redder than a tomato and that noticeable drunken aura was just as strong as it was for him.

“Wha’ game?” Naruto asked, his hand still not leaving hers.

Sakura grinned a Cheshire smile that stretched all too eerily. “Spin the bottle”

Ino groaned in response. “You’re kiddin me, right? What are we, high schoolers or some shit?! You just want an excuse to show your tongue down Sasuke’s throat in front of all of us! Fucking whore!” She exclaimed.

“Whattt? Noooo, it just seems like a really fun game to play!! Right, Naruto?” Sakura spared a glance towards her blonde friend who was all too comfortable beside the petite Hyuuga.

“Definitely” He replied, his tone husky. The way he hungrily eyed her from his peripheral view definitely did not go unnoticed by the flustered girl beside him.

“Let’s fucking do thisss!” Sakura said in a singy-song tone and placed an empty water bottle Hinata had brought in hours ago—a supposed alternative to the alcoholic drinks.

Oh, how that turned out nicely.

She began to well – _spin the bottle_ as they all patiently waited for its victims.

Hinata wasn’t going to lie to herself, she definitely wished the bottle would stop on her and maybe on a certain blonde.

But wait… Didn’t the rules of the game had to have your partner on the _other_ side of the bottle and not _beside you?_

She maybe, probably, well— _really_ wanted to kiss the man beside him but she also didn’t want to move an inch.

Was the universe toying with her?

She just wanted to kiss the man for Christ’s sake—

“Will ya look at that, Sasuke and… oh look! Me!” Before anyone could protest, Sakura had pulled her lover by the collar and devoured him completely. Their eyes shut tight and the pull of their kiss became an immediate tug of war, tongues fought for dominance and slithered its way to the entrance of each other’s cavern. It wasn’t even a few minutes into the game and yet they were already putting on a spit drooling show.

“Boooo! Get off the stageee!” Kiba announced and threw them gestures of disapproval.

In reality, Ino had been the one on the rear end of the bottle but seeing as how that would spur up uninvited drama, they willingly let Sakura hog her man all for herself. They weren’t complaining though, they respected the couple.

“Yeah, forehead. We get it, you two fuck. Now, let us have some fun at it too.” Ino exclaimed and spun the bottle, openly anticipating for the next victims.

If Sasuke was able to kiss Sakura who sat beside him… then that means that she too could—

“Yes! Me and…” Ino spat in excitement and traced the end of the bottle to where it pointed.

“Hinata!! Ohh, I am sooo gonna enjoy this.” And without hesitation, Ino tugged Hinata by the wrist, and much to Hinata’s despair, separated her from Naruto.

Her and Ino were now inches away from each other and she could feel the warmth of her breath lingering on the smooth of her skin. Her breath felt hot and with their proximity, she couldn’t help but enjoy the aqua glow her eyes had to offer. They weren’t as expressive as Naruto’s azure ones but they were undoubtedly more dazzling under the porch light.

Being this up close, Hinata could also make out of how beautiful Ino really was. She had always found her attractive but now, her salacious smirk was tantalizing her.

She might not be the blonde Hinata had anticipated, but she was definitely going to enjoy this.

And before she knew it, her lips crashed onto her lipstick-stained ones. She had her fair share of kisses before, yet she hadn’t realized experiencing it with a girl would be this different.

And _oh,_ how it was _so different._

She was accustomed to man’s rough pace, abrasively pulling her in without a second to pull back. However, her and Ino took it slow at first, experimenting the edges and surfaces with the curves of their lips, patiently finding the perfect angle for them to indulge in. They lapped and suckled ever so slightly, taking in the fullness of each other’s plump lips. Butterfly touches lingered on each other’s smoothness and before she knew it, Ino tilted her head sidewards and gently licked the bottom of her lip for permission.

Soft; so, _so soft._

Hinata obliged and allowed her to enter with full care, tongues dancing around one another, tasting the flavor one had to offer. Hinata felt bold from the alcohol and dipped her tongue further down her partner’s mouth. Indulging in the heady taste of alcohol, minty sweetness and a hint of chocolate from the back of her teeth. She had never been this addicted to anything in her entire damn life.

She found her hand impulsively react as it rubbed the smoothness of Ino’s bare arms. Up and down, relishing her velvet skin.

The two separated briefly, desperately panting for oxygen.

And without a second to spare, they were at it yet again, lingering on each other’s sweet, sweet taste. Tongues exploring every cranny of their mouth, drips of saliva exchanging from here and there and that tasteful pang intoxicating her very being. Who the fuck knew girls tasted so damn good? Oh God, was she a lesbian? Was her attraction to Naruto a ruse all along?

Before she could second guess her feelings for him any further, she hesitantly retracted and drew her mouth away from Ino’s.

She was out of breath and she noticed Ino was in the same state as her. Noticing how animalistic she might’ve gone, heat crept to her cheeks and embarrassment flushed her entire face.

She must’ve looked so _slutty_ in front of Naruto!

How was she going to win herself that kiss now?!

“Holy shit.”

Drawing herself away from her thoughts, she glanced around and found Kiba’s eyes wide as saucers. Both his hands rested tensely on his lap and she could visibly see the blush on his face though she wasn’t certain if it was from the burn of alcohol.

She glanced around once again and found the owner of that voice who was staring intently at her. Eyes taut and focused, hands all jittery and the gradients of his pupils molded into a cobalt ocean.

Hinata rubbed her legs convulsively.

Never had she witnessed Naruto look at her with this much _yearning_

She couldn’t tell if the sensation she was currently feeling was either from the intoxication of the liquor or the evident desire lurking in those eyes of his.

Whatever it was, she was more than willing to further entertain it.

Feeling inebriated and beyond salvaging, she angled her head over her shoulder, and stared him down with newfound fervor.

Bright lilac eyes conveyed a look of come-hither.

Doubts and fear eagerly replaced with bold passion.

Lips slightly parted in emphasis of her breathless state.

And with a slight dip of her head, she winked at him.

* * *

_Fuck,_

What was she _doing_ to him? 

The way she indulged in Ino’s lips, with no trace of backtracking, no sign of meekness, no sign of –well, _Hinata._

This was a whole new _her_.

No shyness, reserve and hesitation whatsoever.

Only sheer, bold hotness.

And _God_ , did he love it.

Drunk as he is, he was well-aware of the _entertainment_ this drunken, nonsensical game of _Spin-The-Battle_ had to offer, so he just couldn’t turn it down.

Plus, a chance to make out with Hinata only heightened his desires even more.

But _damn,_ he did not expect _that._

He was turned on beyond reason.

Watching two sexy, beautiful girls make out in front of you was admittedly every hormonal male teenager’s nightly fantasies.

But watching _Hinata_ make out with another girl was, well—

_Hot._

And, that _wink._

That goddamn wink.

_Fuck, did he want her._

“Holy. Crap. Hinata.” Ino exclaimed, clearly still left in a daze from their recent make out, “ _That¸_ was fucking _hot!”_ She then drew her hands around her petite body, boldly rubbed her hands along the surface of her back.

He was jealous of course, jealous that he hadn’t been the one to be on the receiving end.

But he definitely did not regret watching their show.

“You tasted so good, _Hi-na-ta_. So, _so_ _good_ …” She continued and lifted her well-manicured finger under Hinata’s chin.

“You tasted like strawberry. And _damn_ , was it _addicting_.” Her praises became more and more descriptive and slightly embarrassing but it seemed that Naruto was more than eager to listen.

“W-well, I uh… did drink some strawberry milk during dinner, so…” Hinata explained herself and chuckled lightly at her friend’s praises.

Ino kept rambling about the dulcet flavor of strawberry and beer mingling deliciously against the taste of Hinata’s tongue. The sweet, lavender scent that riled her up, the riveting sensation her touches sent and the breath-hitching feel of skin against skin.

“Damn… I want ‘sum of that! Fuckin give me the bottle already!” Kiba stood from his position and forcefully grabbed the empty water bottle, he then began to spin it and impatiently waited for his turn by spitting out his unfiltered frustration.

He didn’t give a single damn about his mutt friend being rambunctious as always.

He was hot and bothered.

And the alcohol wasn’t helping either.

He kept his gaze locked onto hers, not moving nor faltering one bit. Hoping it could convey the desire in his eyes.

He just wanted her so damn bad.

“Hinata again?!?”

His heated gaze was snapped shut once he heard the object of his desire being called out.

“Damn Hina, you’re on a roll!” Sakura praised her petite friend and lightly nudged the side of her shoulder. Both his female friends kept throwing praises at her, calling her the “Make-out Queen”. He ignored their playful teases and noticed Sasuke still latched around Sakura’s arm, not moving one bit. He laughed at his sorry excuse of a best friend.

“Whattt?! I don’t want to kiss _Hinata_!” Kiba blurted out and frustratingly stretched the undersides of his eyes.

I’m sorry, had he heard that wrong?

Kiba,

Kiss,

Hinata…?

The fuck?

“Keebs, I’m tellin’ ya. Hinata is fucking _delicious._ Who in their right minds wouldn’t want to kiss Hinata?!” Ino insisted and languidly wrapped an arm around Hinata’s shoulder.

“I know I won’t.” Sakura defended and raised one hand in protest.

He wanted to speak up, maybe flirt a little, give a little side comment to gain her attention,

But _what the hell?_

“Whaa’? I mean, totally not denying that Hinata’s hot and all.” Kiba spoke out and placed both hands atop Hinata’s shoulder to prove a point, then continued to protest “But she’s like a sister to me!”

Upon hearing this, Naruto openly scoffed.

Kiba snapped his head towards his direction and looked at him dead in the eyes.

“What?” His voice cold in the air.

Naruto merely rolled his eyes in response and rested both his hands behind his head, not wanting to be bothered by his dumb remarks.

“You jealous or somethin? Well, don’t be. I ain’t kissing Hinata, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’ll feel too _gross._ ”

Woah, _hold up._

Is he damn serious right now?

If it were him, he’d accept that in a heartbeat.

“How is kissing her _gross?_ ” Naruto protested, not wanting to back down from this fight.

Kiba exhaled deeply and calmly rubbed his temple. “Look, I didn’t mean it that way, okay? She’s like my baby sister or something! It’ll be too… _weird_. Just ask Hinata!”

He turned his attention towards her and noticed a hint of pink grace her cheeks. Her head seemed to have been hidden behind her bangs and her eyes were glued to the floor.

“I um… it’s fine really… I don’t want to force you, Kiba-kun.” She kindly replied as she shifted from her daze and spared a shy glance at them.

“Why’re so pissed anyway? Aren’t I doing what you want? You don’t have to be so damn jealous all the time, s’not like you own her.” 

“Kiba-kun!” Settling herself in between them, Hinata flattened a palm on the surface of his chest and lightly pushed him farther from Naruto.

“Fucking twat, no wonder you’re still a virgin.” Feeling the alcohol burn deeper into his system, he stood from his position and marched a slow pace towards Kiba.

He didn’t understand where all this pent-up anger came from.

He honestly doesn’t understand _why_ he felt mad at all.

All he knew was that this dick called Hinata _gross_ and he wasn’t going to stand by and ignore it.

Maybe it was the alcohol,

Maybe it was the incoherency blurring his senses,

Or that he was never too mature in keeping his possessiveness at bay;

Whatever it was, he was too riled up to even think about it.

Kiba scoffed as he witnessed Naruto slowly approaching them, “Ha. Ha. Think you’re such a smartass don’tcha—"

“N-Naruto-kun…. please, _please_ don’t do this… please…” Hinata cut him off midway with her tiny figure serving as a makeshift barricade between the two headstrong men. She looked up at him and pleaded Naruto with her winsome eyes, and as she did, she rested both her palms on the surface of his chest and stroked the fabric in light motion. A searing warmth scalded through the thickness of his fabric and soaked all the way to the skin of his chest.

Damn, did it feel good.

“Oi dumbass, keep it in your pants. Kiba already told you he isn’t kissing Hinata. So, calm down already, before my ass beats the living shit out of you two.” Completely breaking the growing tension lurking between, Sasuke unexpectedly spoke up and sat upright, ready to pounce at both of them.

“Pfft, whatever. Just spin the damn bottle” Returning towards his position, Kiba sat down and lazily drooped his hands on the arm rest of the couch.

Naruto hesitantly drew away from her touch and proceeded to squat down in attempt to control his increasing anger.

As the night raced through the hours, the next few rounds grew more tenacious. Shots were lively thrown around everywhere, curses and horny comments flew over their heads, and the pungent smell of unsupervised youth filled the confined walls of their room.

Kiba and Ino had been the next ones after their heated exchange, to which Ino had profusely disagreed and threatened to slap him relentless. In the end, she was left with no choice but to oblige and to at least give him a simple peck on the lips.

“I’d rather lick Sakura’s barf then have my tongue in your mouth.” She had complained.

Sakura and Hinata were next to ravish each other. The fact that the bottle had stopped on Sasuke clearly did not go unnoticed as Sakura was the first one to pounce on Hinata’s lips.

They then proceeded to ignore it.

Naruto eyed her hungrily, wanting more and more from her as the night flew by. He was growing more impatient.

And once his turn had arrived, he silently prayed to whatever gods that were listening to him to grant him his lustful wish.

Honestly, was it _really_ too much to ask for? 

“Me? _Again?”_

He hesitantly lifted his eyes from his silent vigil and eyed the owner of that voice.

_Dammit, Ino._

Frustratingly, he huffed out deeply and decided to be the first one to approach her.

He didn’t voice out his blatant disappointment with the situation he was stuck in, he just wanted to get this over with.

“Awww~ I’m flattereddd that you’re eager to taste me, Uzumaki. But, don’t worry, I promise I won’t disappoint” She then flicked a wink at him, clearly overthrown by the insane amount of alcohol she had engulfed. She was fuming red and he found it hilarious then chuckled involuntarily.

“You better don’t, then.”

Before she could protest, he grabbed her by the nape and pulled her in to smash his lips onto hers. Not the lips he’s been craving for the entire evening, but it’ll do. He then continued his forceful suction, enfolding her lips with his own, overlapping and dominating her with every ounce of vigor the alcohol had to offer. The tangy aroma of beer invaded his nostrils, almost made him retch in disgust yet to which he abruptly dismissed as images of her previous session with Hinata resurfaced in his mind.

Their sensual act brought sweat to his temples and the memory alone hazed his mind and heated him to his very core. Knowing far well that this steamy memory will forever be embedded in his mind. Images of _her_ overrode him, driving his senses into absolute haywire. He pressed his lips harder, forcefully entering his tongue, seeking and submerging himself without a minute of hesitation. This mouth of hers had entered the exact same territory he had been thirsting for the entire night, so he granted himself the pleasure of exploration.

No longer caring nor remembering everybody around them, he savored every taste _she_ had left. Thoughts of her clouded his judgement as he delved deeper, searching, grasping, greedily hoarding for any traces of _her_ lingering in her mouth. And as he did, he finally came into understanding about the delectable strawberry flavor Ino had bragged about after their session.

_Hinata,_

He ravished her tongue with unsolicited hunger, lodging images of _her_ into his thoughts.

_Hinata…_

Her lips, her lavender scent, her strawberry taste, all harbored deep into his mind.

He wanted more, _yearned_ for more; wanted her, _needed_ her, and every fibre of his being screamed for her.

 _Her_ and only her.

“Woahhh, hold you horses there, buddy. You’re drooling all over the floor!”

He broke from their heated stupor and glanced around to find everyone agape. He wanted to at least feel embarrassed or maybe apologize for his rough behavior but he was too damn drunk to assess anyone or anything by now and he doubted he’d wake up to remember any of this.

With the back of his sleeve, he wiped away the hints of saliva visible on his wet lips and headed back to his previous seat.

Ino was just as bewildered as most of his friends and decided to speak up, “W-well, that was… _damn.”_ Her breath hitched as she chuckled lightly. “I always knew you had that wild side of yours… I just never knew I’d see it first-hand… _goddamn Naruto.”_

“W-will you please excuse me for a second” As she said this, Hinata got up from her seat and languidly proceeded towards the bathroom. He desperately wanted to chase after her, convince her that… _that_ _kiss_ all meant nothing. That it was a spur of the moment, a mere influence of the alcohol.

But honestly, what do you expect him to say to her?

_Hey, I was actually thinking of you while I was sucking off your best friend’s face. Really romantic, right?_

He licked his bottom lip and watched her leave in a hurry, hands cupped to cover her face.

He was fucked.

* * *

“Stupid, stupid, _stupid.”_

She glanced in the mirror and saw two pale eyes staring back at her.

_Maybe, it’s my eyes._

Cupping a handful of water from the sink, she splashed it all over her face.

_Weird. That's what I am, that's what I've always been. Just an incredibly timid and weird girl._

A deep sigh escaped her lips.

_Ino’s gorgeous, all the girls he’s dated were gorgeous. So, just what the hell am I?_

She took a long look at her own reflection once more, searching for any decent qualities every girl should possess. And as she did, images of Ino's flawless skin taunted her. So, she simply stood there, and instead, pinpointed the things she usually noticed; her pale skin, her blemishes, the weird curvature of her shoulders and how it makes her look more like a man. She contemplated at how too wide her hips were, how her boobs served nothing but deadweight, or how the bags under her eyes and the uneven frame of her bangs made her look like that girl from " _The Ring"._

Weird. She had always been _weird._

It was as if she were back in _his_ place all over again. 

_Cover yourself up._

_Comb your hair once in a while._

_Straighten your back._

_Don't wear that, no one wants to look like a whore._

A few tears threatened to fall from her eyes. And, with every ounce of strength, she fought them back and shut her eyes tight enough to prevent them from falling.

Tight enough to not let anyone see.

Quiet enough to not let anyone hear.

Well-rehearsed enough to not let anyone know.

“Hinata?”

Like a flash, she wiped her eyes, and blinked back the tears that just kept on falling.

“Ughh, you okay in there? Maybe wanna go back?”

Right, right they were drinking. Having fun.

Until she had to be the life of the party and storm off like that. Nice move.

“I-I’m coming out, just finishing off.” Quickly, she continued to wipe her eyes and fixed everything else that was completely out of place.

Now, if she could only apply that with her life…

“Here, got you some water, thought you’d need it”

“T-thank you, Kiba-kun”

Kiba is a sweet guy, the sweetest, and she could tell that he genuinely did care for her. He was kind and patient and he always treated her with nothing but respect and love.

 _Why_ couldn’t she just date guys like Kiba? Not some manipulative bastard who would stomp on her emotionally and mentally as if she were some damn welcome doormat. A guy who actually, _genuinely_ cared about her.

“Hey, hey. Don’t mention it. Naruto can be an ass—actually _he is_ an ass but he’s also drunk as hell right now. Heck, even _I_ can’t comprehend things properly right now” He patted her on the back and attempted to soothe her with his meaningful words.

“And yet, here you are, comforting me and— _wait,”_ She stopped mid-sentence, "H-how can you be so sure t-that I’m actually upset about Naruto-kun?” She interrogated him, slightly suspicious with his sudden assumptions.

He merely scoffed. “Hina, I’ve known you since diapers or something. I can read you like the back of my hand. I meant what I said back there about you being like my lil’ sis. I love you, ya’know that?” This almost made her go through yet on another one of her break downs. Almost.

“You sure it’s not just because you’re drunk?” She pressed, lightly chuckling at his adorable consoling.

“Nahh, although I think I _reallyy_ am out of it—but you always come first, remember that. And if that dickhead,” He points towards the living room with a motion of his thumb, “Even attempts to break your heart, ya know he’s gonna get it.” He says this as he cracks his knuckles like some UFC fighter ready for his round in the ring.

She couldn’t help it, she laughed and smiled and felt the weight on her shoulder subtly fade away.

How in the world was she blessed with such an amazing best friend?

“Don’t tell him I said this though, but I’m actually betting on the guy”

“Kiba-kun!” A faint pink laced her cheeks

“No, really I am. I trust him. He had his lapses back then, but as long as he’s not worse than that Toneri asshole -–who was an overall fucker by the way," He emphasized, "Then I willingly give him my blessing.”

She chuckled coldly at the sudden mention of his _name_ , so she glued her gaze on the image of the wooden floor beneath her.

“No one’s worse than Toneri.”

* * *

“No.”

Their laughter was now uncontrollable and the blood in his veins had turned to ice. No way in hell was he doing this.

“ _Narutooo,_ need I remind you that whomst ever shall the bottle land on, that is whomst you shall be canoodling with.” Ino stated in her usual sing-song voice, desperately trying to imitate a horrible English accent.

“ ‘ _Whomst’_ my ass. I’m not doing this and I’m not changing my mind, so back the fuck off.” With a stern voice, he picked himself up from his squatted position and attempted to leave the circle.

“Oiii, where the hell do you think _you’re_ going!” Sakura immediately followed his tracks and dragged him by the arm to forcefully push him back down from where he sat a second ago.

“Rules are rules, Romeo” She said this with a lopsided smirk and hidden mischievous glint in her eyes.

He attempted to elude her movements yet t’was to no avail as she easily shrugged him off with her unbelievable brute strength. He definitely wasn’t going away any time sooner.

Before he could voice his protest any further, Sakura jumped from his arm to Sasuke’s side and latched onto him like adhesive. She slowly bent her body down and levelled herself right beside his ear, then hid the sight of her mouth behind the back of her hand and whispered something too inaudible for their friends to hear.

Sasuke’s eyes shut tight in an instant, his breath tensed between his teeth and a noticeable blush crept to his face. Before they knew it, Sasuke stood from his seat and walked right up to Naruto with a determined look.

“Naruto, let’s just fucking do it.”

Naruto definitely _did not_ want to fucking do it.

“No, no, _no way in hell,_ am I going to shove my tongue down your mouth.”

Both Sakura and Ino kept booing at his rejections, proudly throwing their disappointment right at him.

“If Sasuke’s gonna be getting a treat tonight, what’s in it for me then?”

And as if on cue, Hinata and Kiba came out from nowhere and headed towards their circle with innocent looks on their faces. Sakura’s eyes widened immediately.

“Hina’s gonna give you a kiss if you do it.” She blurted.

Hinata’s eyes bulged wide, clearly confused with her current condition.

“I- I’m sorry?”

“If Naruto’s gonna tongue Sasuke, Hinata’s going to kiss him as a reward! Won’t you Hina?”

Apparently, the look on her face had said it all. Her blush didn’t even have time to settle itself. Her gaze shifted from left to right to left than to right once more, wishing nothing more than to have her head chopped off from her pretty little neck.

She had just gone back from practically balling her eyes out and now here she was! Greeted with the fact that she had owed him –the sole reason to why her eyes are dry as deserts– a simple kiss.

And she had said that so nonchalantly!

“Co-could you elaborate on the m-matter?” She attempted to voice out.

“Look, Sasuke’s bottle stopped on Naruto and he’s being a real pussy right now—”

“Am not!” Naruto deliberately cut her off.

“And Sasuke was on the same boat. Soo~ I decided to _persuade_ him to push him enough to plant a little kiss on Naruto’s lips.” She ended with a proud smirk.

“And how do I fit into all of _this?”_ Hinata asked and waved her hands around as if to prove a point.

Sakura chuckled at her gesture and planted a hand on her shoulder. “You, my friend, are the most important piece of all. You just gotta do your magic and bada-bing bada-boom, you’ll have him wrapped around your finger in no time!” She then squealed in front of her.

“Plus, we get to see Naruto and Sasuke get on it with each other. And I am totally going to document it.” Ino butted in completely out of nowhere and brought her phone from the side of her pocket. “Ya’know for keepsake” Ending it with a teasing wink.

“So, what you say Hina?” Both girls lovingly encouraged her. “You don’t have to necessarily tongue him or anything, just a peck, a little tease, doesn’t even have to be on the lips”

“He doesn’t need to know that though, but at least we’ll have a picture of Sasuke and Naruto making out.” Ino whispered in her quiet tone.

“I don’t know…” It was not like she cried for him a few seconds ago, a peck wasn’t going to hurt her that much. Right?

“Maybe… maybe he’d rather prefer it from…you?” Hinata pointed out and directed towards Ino, who held no reserve whatsoever and immediately cackled at her friend’s comment.

“Girl!! Are you legit serious right now?!! Okay, yeah, he’s hot and I’d _totally_ bang him.” She says nonchalantly. “But like, he’s into you! As in really _into_ you Hinata, and promising him that kiss will turn him into a puppy in an instant.”

Instinctively, Hinata peeked from her friend’s shoulder and saw Naruto and Sasuke exchange death glares towards each other with Kiba acting as their low budget referee.

Naruto clearly didn’t wanna do this.

But, did she?

I mean, if it’s only a peck…

“I-if, it is just a peck, then maybe I can d-do it.” She confessed as her head hung low and tried her hardest to suppress the profuse blush.

Both hesitated no second to squeal and praise in response. They hugged her tight and gave her words of gratitude and promises of sending her the photo of Sasuke and Naruto making out. A few “We love you, Hina” were being repeated over and over.

“Yoo!! Narutoo, Hinata says she’s gonna do it!!” Sakura exclaimed barely unable to hide her growing excitement.

Naruto immediately turned towards her with a frustrated look etched on his face. “Do what?” He demanded.

“If you tongue Sasuke, Hinata’s gonna give you a lil’ treat!” Ino replied back then ended her banter with a salacious little wink.

This was ridiculous. Merely seconds ago, Naruto was ready to storm off and lock himself in his room until he wakes up lifeless from his horrible hangover. He was clearly pissed that he was being forced to do this. She could see it in his eyes, the fire and anger burning within it. He so obviously was not going to do it. She just knows it. The utter annoyance of your friend forcing you to do something that you ultimately did not want to—

“Sure, I’ll do it.”

Okay, that was too quick.

Both girls squealed like banshees and wasted no time before quickly pushing Sasuke in front of Naruto, with both phones ready and both girls waiting in anticipation.

“C’mon people! We don’t have all night!” Sakura exclaimed from behind her phone.

Hesitation was still visible on their faces until seconds turned into minutes as it did, all of them began shrieking and protesting at their never-ending waiting.

Just when you’d thought Naruto would come in for a kiss, Sasuke would back up and shove him in the chest. Sasuke attempted to pull him back in but Naruto in turn, flinched at their proximity and groaned in frustration.

They were like two magnets with similar poles, retracting and repelling within the last second, whenever there had been only an inch away from the union of their lips.

Completely tired with their lover’s quarrel, Kiba butted in and booted him from the back of Naruto’s head, and yelled profanity after profanity for acting like some lovestruck high schooler in front of their crush.

And in the blink of an eye, their lips met.

And oh, _was it a sight to behold._

“15 seconds! Just like you promised!!” Shrieked an overly excited Sakura.

“And don’t forget the tongue!!” Supplied by an also overly hyped Ino.

Hinata, on the other hand, was giggling uncontrollably, clapping both hands as if some toy monkey with its cymbals.

Their kiss seemed shy and light at first but with more encourages from the crowd, it became hurried and demanding. Their lips puckered and planted shy pecks on each other’s lips with their heads tilted from side to side, as they searched for better access. Though a hint of frustration was still undeniably detected from their eyes.

Not that their friends minded, this was fun!

“I hate you” they heard Naruto mutter.

“Back at you, asshole.” Sasuke replied, his voice hoarse and low.

She was _definitely_ enjoying this.

“Tongue! Tongue! Tongue!”

Blaring cheers burst from the crowd. And to their satisfaction, Sasuke shyly propped his mouth open and licked the bottom of Naruto’s lips with unexpected boldness.

Though to their disappointment, Naruto jumped back.

Dammit, fun’s over.

“Dude!” He objected; cheeks of his face redder than pepper.

Protests from the crowd echoed in the room and looks of disappointment were splattered on their faces. A series of _fuck you’s_ and _shut the hell up!_ were thrown left and right.

Though their little make-out sesh had ended too sooner than what they had wanted, Sakura swiftly dragged Sasuke by the arm and planted a kiss on his cheek, then pulled him towards the nearest room.

“We’ll be out in a bit, make sure to clean up!” Sakura mentioned seconds before pushing Sasuke inside the confines of their chosen room.

Well then,

After what seemed to be minutes of incoherent squeals and teasing, Ino was momentarily knocked out on the surface of the couch, her mouth wide open with noticeable drools leaking from the corner of her lips.

Kiba was knocked out lifeless as well, his body similar to that of a dead person, simply laying on the floor, cold and limp.

“I-I should get going to, we can um… clean up tomorrow if that’s okay with you?” Barely managing to voice out her thoughts, Hinata stuttered at her proposal and turned her back towards him, hurriedly leaving the crime scene unnoticed.

“Woah, woah… where’d ya think you’re going? Don’t you still _owe_ me something?” His voice sounded too demanding in her ears, causing her to freeze midtrack.

Her heart quickened impulsively.

“C-come again”

She could hear faint footsteps cautiously approach her, as if coaxing her to come out of hiding. One by one, as his steps drew closer, her chest would pound in response, her hands felt clammy, her head was light and she suddenly became more conscious of what her lips tasted like.

She then licked her bottom lip for good measure.

As soon as his steps stopped in its track, she could feel hands sneak its way to the sides of her waist, gently rubbing his thumb over her fabric. His breath now merely inches away from the side of her jaw and the heat of his breath ghosted her skin, awakening bushfires at his every touch.

The feeling was overstimulating. She felt as if she were to implode at any second.

“Now… about that kiss?” His throat raw and raspy as his words lingered in her ear.

Forcefully, she snapped her eyes shut, tight enough to push her eyes deeper into its sockets. Everything was just _too much_ ; his touch was too much, his breath on her skin was too much,

 _He_ was _too much._

She was overheating.

“Um, Naruto-kun?” 

She turned her neck towards him and caught a glimpse of those once baby blue eyes now melted into a familiar cobalt ocean she could drown herself into.

“ _Hinata,”_ Shit, she was doomed

With a full turn of her body, she was greeted with knowing smirk, his eyes lingered on her eyes then further down and down as his gaze now reached the curve of her pink lips.

She knew what she wanted but she ultimately detested herself for it.

Images of him passionately kissing Ino resurfaced in her mind at the last second.

_You’re just like every other girl he likes; you’re no different, dammit._

Hesitation clear on her countenance; she drew a step back and averted his gaze with the bow of her head. It seemed her insecurities got the best of her, yet again.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” And much to her surprise, he lifted her chin up, high enough for her to meet his level. She could always read him like an open book, one of the few things she was genuinely proud of. It’s all in his eyes, she recalls.

And what his eyes were conveying to her, immediately sent her to oblivion.

She just wanted to melt into him that very moment.

“I-I don’t think I want to do this now Naruto-kun, I-I’m sorry” It took all of her willpower to not smash her lips onto his. Her insecurities were still latching onto her like some devil on her shoulder, whispering words of ice.

His eyebrows creased in confusion, “Just a kiss, alright _Hina?_ Just that, and I can die in peace.”

“I really am sorry… I-I know I _promised_ to do this but— but…”

“Just a kiss, okay?”

She wanted this; she also _didn’t_ want to do this. She didn’t, did she? She honestly doesn’t know.

But his eyes were pleading, his touch inviting, his voice enrapturing and she just couldn’t deny him. She was never one to deny him.

And he was cautious, he held onto her as if some delicate china doll. Careful enough to not let it break.

But she didn’t want this, well, _she did,_ but not right now, anything but _now._

Should she? Should she just push him away? Run away and scream bloody murder?

She voiced her feelings, she said she didn’t want this, so why is he still…

But she wanted this, she desperately wanted this. And he was so, _so_ close now, and his breath was only a centimeter away…

 _To hell with it_ , her eyes shut tight, and her lips parted invitingnly. Then, she leaned in and—

“Fuck, I’m sorry.”

Sorry? Why was he…

“Shit, Hinata. I’m sorry, I’m so _so_ sorry, I didn’t mean it to go this far.” He kept on groaning, “ I-I heard you denying the first time, and yet I ignored them, crap I’m an ass. I didn’t mean to manipulate you into buying your consent, I shoulda just stopped before—”

“Naruto-kun” She attempted to cut him off.

“Before I could’ve got completely out of hand! Jerks like me deserve hell! You said no but I still dove in anyway! And—”

“Naruto-kun,”

“And I don’t want to be that asshole who, you know uses ‘ _Oh but I was drunk’_ as a shitty excuse. I swear, Hinata, I respect you wholeheartedly and I should’ve backed off when you said no. I’m such a—

“Naruto-kun!” She attempted once more

“I’m a dick, a lowlife degenerate. Fuck, I deserve to rot. Women shouldn’t be objectified like that, I’m sorry, I’m so _so sorry._ Hinata, I’m really—”

Though, before he could finish, she sneakily planted a playful peck on his cheeks and smiled into her kiss, completely self-satisfied as she felt him stop and tense midway his rant.

“I think it’s sweet how you think like that. Thank you for respecting me.” She whispered into his cheeks, a wide grin still gracing her lips.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t kiss you the way you and Ino did, but I hope a peck on the cheek could make-up for it.” Her smile only became wider as she noticed a visible blush rise to his face.

“What do you mean Ino and—”

“Goodnight, Naruto-kun”

Planting another light kiss on his cheek, she then sauntered towards her room with a bounce of joy in her every step. As she locked the door behind her, she was greeted with the silence of her own room and the dark spacious presence. Feeling utterly embarrassed, she hid behind the collar of her sweater and blushed like a complete mad man after realizing what she had just done.

A wide grin stretched her lips from ear to ear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I had too much fun writing this one XD hope you enjoyed!  
> *Edit: I altered a few things here, i am currently debating with myself abt something abt this story. Hnggg, but please just... ignore me ... I hope this story is enjoyable enough, though!! Thank you for the comments and kudos!!!


	5. Dream a little dream of me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter delves into Hinata's past. Fair warning, Toneri is a manipulative boi and there will be some mention of violence, though not all too heavy.

“Naruto,”

He groaned in response.

“Narutooo”

A dry cough merely spewed from his lips.

“OI, NARUTO WAKE THE HELL UP!!”

Abruptly, he jumped from his sleeping position, as a throbbing pain washed over him, like thrashing waves hitting the edges of his sluggish brain over and over again. His limbs felt detached as if every nerve in his muscle had been completely shut off.

In summary; he felt like shit.

Waking up was the _last_ thing that he wanted to do right now and getting yelled at was neither that high on his list.

He glared at the object of his aggravation.

“What the fuck do you want, Kiba?”

Kiba glared back accusingly, “Shut up and haul your ass. It’s 2 in the afternoon and you’re still out like a sloth.” He kicked the foot of his bed, causing it to rattle. “Get up so you can help us clean this place up.”

With one final kick to his bed, he stomped out of the room, with two full garbage bags heavy in his hand.

Annoyed, he laid back down, trying his hardest to suppress the increasing ache pounding in his head. For some godforsaken reason, his bed honestly felt too comfortable to get up from, he simply would just _die_ of guilt if he were to ignore the comforting confines of his own bed. 

Beds needed attention too, right?

“Naruto, I swear to God, if you don’t get up on your ass right now, I’m calling Sakura”

And in a blink of an eye, he was up.

* * *

“Woah, what happened here?” He eyed the catastrophe that was in front of him; also, previously known as their living room.

The couches were in complete mayhem, the floor’s felt stickier than gum and the strong whiff of fermented alcohol wafted freely in the air.

If their parents could see them now, they would have a stroke on the spot.

“Trust me, while you were asleep, everything looked _way_ worse _.”_ Kiba convinced him then proceeded to pick up scraps of crushed beer cans from the floor.

His thoughts wandered to the memories of their night before, searching for any remnants that had led them to all of _this._

Blurry images of an adorable raven-haired girl were the first thing to materialize from his memory, he faintly recalled having to hold her hand, and the sweet strawberry taste he had later discovered that night, which had then haunted him for the rest of the evening.

And if he were to squeeze his memory any further, he could still recall the tangy taste of someone’s lips latched onto his own, the touch… was rough yet light. He remembered the delicate lap of tongue against the curve of his lips and as he opened his eyes, he could picture-out these images of a dak raven-haired…

Boy?!

“Oiii, earth to Narutoo.” Kiba waved his hand in front of his emotionless face. Naruto’s body completely tensed.

He hurriedly shook those repulsive memories away, “Ahh… Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time, pick up the trash and toss it outside. I got it.” He replied then began to pick up the bits of trash scattered all over.

“So, um… you have any idea where Hinata is?” Suppressing his blush, he glanced around and attempted to locate where his other friends might be at this very moment.

Upon hearing this, a smirk crept to Kiba’s face “Can you make it any more obvious?” He pointed his thumb towards a room down the hallway, “While we were knocked out cold, she’s took care of most of the crap in here. She’s resting in that room over there.” 

“Damn, really? She wasn’t hungover?” Naruto interrogated; a hint of concern apparent in his tone.

“Nah, I doubt that. She’s _superr_ lightweight. She can barely chug down one can of beer!” A deep sigh escaped his lips as he planted both hands to the side of his waist. “How she had gotten up so early in the morning without feeling like shit; I honestly have no idea.”

Sympathy for his saintly crush dawned upon him. She had been up all morning while they were all out cold. Could she be any more perfect?

Momentarily, he arranged the sofas back to their original position along with the coffee table and love seats. Now that he was to look at the place, it definitely wasn’t as chaotic as it was the way they left it last night. Not like he remembered anything much from last night, but he did recall how catastrophic their little event had turned into.

And their game…

He shuddered involuntarily.

“Hey, now that I think about it. Where the hell is everyone else?” Naruto asked, completely bothered by the fact that it was only the two of them doing the heavy duty.

“Ino’s in the bathroom, puking her guts out, while Sakura’s there accompanying her. Hina’s out like a lightbulb and I think Sasuke’s taking care of her right now. You can go check if you want.”

“Hold up, Sasuke’s doing what, now?” His eyes bulged in response.

Kiba huffed deeply and noted the sudden shift of his attention, “Geez, chill out man. She’s really sick right now, Sasuke’s just looking after her—”

“Yeah, yeah. So, where are they?” Naruto eagerly cut him off.

He directed towards the hallway beside him, “Second room on the left. Okay, but mind if I ask, why—”

“Thanks, Keebs! I’ll help you out later!”

Too eager to visit her, and his meddling best friend, he dashed towards the room, and in a flash; he was gone.

* * *

Unceremoniously, he slammed the door in front of him, causing it to bang loudly against the wall.

“Hinata!”

Sasuke witnessing all of this, glared menacingly at the tenacious blonde, wanting nothing more than to chop off his arm that very instant.

“Dude, Shut up! She’s sleeping!” He then pointed towards the pale girl on the bed.

Her hair looked dry ang shaggy and the bags of her eyes bore darker circles. Her skin flushed a paler complexion than her usual milky smoothness.

Though the aftereffects of a horrible hangover were evident in her appearance, he wondered how she could still manage to look so beautiful even in her sleep.

“Shit. I’m sorry” He apologized in a half-whisper.

Tiptoeing closer towards her bed, he had failingly awakened the beauty before him.

“Hm? Sasuke-kun?”

Hinata shifted on her bed and glanced at both boys beside her. The more Naruto looked at her, the more notable her exhaustion was. With half-lidded eyes, she moved closer towards the edge of the bed, sparing both of them yet another glance.

“Good morning, princess. Sleep well?” Naruto plopped down beside her, and circled his arm around her shoulder, lightly rubbing the soft sleeve of her sweater.

She gazed up at him in scrutiny. “Morning? Shouldn’t I be telling _you that?”_

“Hmm… so you’re fine with me calling you princess but you hate it when I greet you _good morning?”_

Annoyed, Sasuke scoffed, interrupting whatever conversation they were having. “Glad you’re finally awake.”

He stood up from his crouching position and walked right up towards the door, hand on waist, “Sakura just texted me and told me we’re gonna head out to buy some aspirins. Ino’s tagging along with us, probably to buy some medicine for her stomach.”

“There’s a pharmacy close by?” Naruto asked, hand still wrapped around her shoulder.

Sasuke nodded, “And Kiba’s gonna buy us dinner, so that Hinata doesn’t have to cook for us. Which leaves only the two of you here. Alone. In this house”

The realization struck him like a gunshot on the beginning of a horserace.

Unthinkingly, he eyed her in his periphery, suddenly becoming more conscious of how soft her body was leaning against his, how the plump of her breast was squishing the side of his arm.

God, help him. 

Before exiting the room, Sasuke spared one more glance at Naruto, and shot him a threatening death stare, almost making his eyes look red;

“Don’t do anything I won’t or else you’re dead, got it?” He said coldly, then slammed the door behind him, leaving the two of them. Alone. With each other.

Hinata shifted from underneath his arm and laid back down on the bed, particularly unsure with how to respond to Sasuke’s… warnings.

“Ahh… don’t mind him Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun has been very… protective lately. I think he gets that from Sakura.”

They giggled at her statement and Naruto found this as an opportunity to scoot in a little closer.

“Yeah, he’s an ass. I’m just glad he took care of you.” He slumped down in front of the headboard, leaving only a few inches away from Hinata. He reached for her forehead to check any vital signs of an incoming sickness and gently flattened his palm over it.

Her face immediately flushed red upon contact.

“Dang girl, you’re burning up. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Hinata shook his hand away from her face, her countenance still flushing crimson. “Y-yes, yes! I am, I’m just… I still feel rather odd, from… l-last night.”

Curiously, her fingers traced her lips as the memories from last night emerged from the back of her mind, causing her to break out into a guileless smile. The throbbing in her chest unbearable.

Seeing this, Naruto blushed impulsively.

“H-hey, what’s gotten into you. Why’re you smiling like that?” Had something happened between them last night? Was she smiling because of …him? He sure hoped so.

“Smiling like what?” She replied ever so casually.

Memories from last night could barely register in his head, he couldn’t even recall one damn thing. And thinking too much would just make his head hurt.

Though he does recall the blurry image of soft lips nipping at his, could it be that possibly, maybe it had been…

“You should go back to bed; you must be tired from cleaning all morning”

“Says who? I’m perfectly fine!” She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out in the cutest way, she then crossed her arms in front of her as if to prove a point.

He scooted even closer and pinched her cheek playfully, “Says me. And you are in no condition to decline, missy. I have the upper hand here.”

“Upper hand? You’re just as hungover as I am.” Declaring her protests, she swatted his hands away from her face and giggled at his feeble attempts.

This time, he brought both his hands on each side of her cheeks and pinched even harder.

“At least I’m not _tiny._ You probably forgot that I drink, like a lot _._ My body is basically immune to alcohol now.” He says this as he evades her difficult hands once more.

“I am _not_ tiny!”

“And I’m not an incredibly handsome man. So, listen to papa and go back to sleep already!” With one final pinch, he released his fingers and beamed at her with his brightest grin, extremely proud of his victory.

Defeated, she slumped on top of her bed and skittishly snuggled underneath her blanket, almost like an irksome little child.

“Yes, daddy.” She answered… a little _too_ willingly.

 _Shit_. He thought. He definitely wasn’t going to survive this.

Noticing this, Hinata’s face burned brighter than how she was the night before. Red was an understatement. Her entire face was fuming _._

Embarrassment sheathed her entirely as her words left an indecent taste in her mouth. She hid behind both her hands and repeatedly shook her head left and rights to rid of all her lewd assumptions. She felt so _dirty._

Naruto, on the other hand, was just as red as she was, yet by the next minute, he was cackling like a mad man, unable to suppress the relentless giggles spewing from his mouth.

He wanted to stop; he really did. But seeing how flustered she looked and incredibly adorable her blush was, he couldn’t help himself. She was just so damn cute.

Even if she did call him daddy.

“Naruto-kun! W-wha- Stop laughinggg!”

He laughed even harder, “S-sorry, it’s just that’s the first time anyone has ever called me ‘ _daddy’_ before” And he laughed even more.

“That does _not_ give you the right to ridicule me! Just- I- Gah! You’re insufferable!”

Angry as she was, he wasn’t guilty one bit “Hina, you’re too cute. Stop it.”

His maniacal laughter still wasn’t stopping.

Infuriated, she shifted on her bed, forcing her back to face him. She threw her blanket all over her body and buried herself into the safe haven of her bed.

“Whaaa, c’mon, you’re being a real bore right now, at least let me see your face.” Suppressing his giggles, he made an effort to pull the blankets off of her.

“Hinataaaa, you gotta admit, it was a little funny”

“No, it wasn’t!” She exclaimed, still hidden underneath her shield of a blanket.

He pried even further, too entertained by her behavior, “Was too. I’ve been with a bunch of girls before and not one of them has ever called me _daddy_. But coming from you though, I don’t think I really mind, to be honest…”

Oh yes, how could she forget. He had dated _a bunch of girls_ before. How splendid.

Bitterly, Hinata froze underneath her blanket and clutched onto the fabric even tighter. It’s not like she was insecure about the number of girls he’s dated and how perfect they were or anything. And it’s not like she _cared._

She couldn’t give two shits about how many girls he’s dated or how incredibly pretty they were or how they looked exactly like those models on magazines, with their dolled-up faces, prissy dresses, perfectly snatched waists and attractive personalities. Completely unlike her with her transparent skin and meaty features.

And no _,_ she wasn’t _jealous_.

Nope, definitely not.

Before she could react, Naruto flung her around and clung to her waist like some life-vessel, flying her onto her other side, now completely face-to-face with a full view of his proud grin.

“Hi there” He grinned obnoxiously.

Oh, how she hated him.

Still bothered by his sudden mention of his _other girls,_ she grabbed onto a pillow and hid her face completely from his vision.

“Awww, c’monnn. You aren’t still mad about that, are you?” He consoled her, pulling the pillow down, making him catch a glimpse of her hiding face.

He grimaced; she was being oddly difficult than usual. She wasn’t even blushing this time. And her eyes…

They looked upset. She looked upset.

 _Something’s wrong_ , he thought.

“I’m sorry for laughing at you.” He attempted to pull her pillow even down but her eyes didn’t even budge.

“I’m sorry for making you feel embarrassed. I mean it! I did think you were cute though, but if I hurt you, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Attempting one more time, he pleaded like a puppy, now genuinely concerned why she wouldn’t see eye to eye with him.

His brows furrowed, “Hinaaaa, I’m sorryyy. Please forgive meeee.”

Nothing.

He pleaded even more, rocking her shoulders back and forth.

Still nothing.

“I’m sorrryyyyy.” He prolonged it, a bit longer than necessary. Long enough to finally make her budge.

“I get it, I get it! Shattap already!”

Caught off guard, a pillow came flying towards him.

“Wow, okay. Think you’re so funny eh, wait ‘til I wipe that smug look off of that pretty little face of yours. C’mere you!”

An onslaught of pillows went flying in the air, one by one hitting her right where he wanted. Deadly pillows striking her after each blow, none too subtle with each attack. She, too, decided to fight back and with the power of fluffy cotton, she whacked him right in the face, utterly proud of her sweet, sweet revenge.

One after another, they pummelled each other with their pillows of doom, completely disarranging the beddings and blankets around them. Though none of them really cared since they were too busy suffocating the other with their fuzzy weapons.

Until Naruto hit her right in the face, a little too hard.

“Holy shit! I didn’t mean to—”

Yet another pillow smacked him just as hard.

“Now we’re even” She said this as she smiled her innocent smile.

* * *

After their little battle royale, they decided to finish cleaning the living room. Not that it required all that much attention, seeing as how it needed only a few more organizing here and there.

Parched from their hard-work, Naruto grabbed two juice boxes (which Hinata had politely refused as the mere sight of colored liquid made her tummy churn) and lazed on the couch until noon time passed.

They sat there in comfortable silence, patiently waiting for their other friends to arrive.

“Ya’know” He said in between sips, “You’ve been wearing an awful lot of sweaters lately. Like a shit ton of them. Everyday. For the past days.”

She honestly never perceived him to be this observant by her choice of clothing before. Admittedly, her fashion sense was never something she was… ultimately proud of. So, she wore more sweaters than usual. Big deal. It made her feel concealed and small and safe. Plus, she had an excuse to cover up her sorry excuse of a body, so that’s a win.

She merely shrugged him off, “I feel comfortable in them, and it’s not like you haven’t seen me wear one before. These are like, my go-to outfits every time I head out.”

“Yeah, but you wear them _all the time._ And they’re bigger and baggier than usual. It’s like the only thing you brought on this trip.”

“Is not.” She denied.

“Is too. Didn’t you at least bring one t-shirt? How about that t-shirt that I gave you back in freshmen year? You know the one with _‘My Ninja Way’_ written on it. You didn’t lose it, did you?”

Of course she didn’t, that was her favorite shirt, of all time. She religiously wore that shirt to bed every other night for the past years. Although the text and design were a little too eccentric for her taste, using it as pyjamas still made her feel a slight connection between him and her.

She raised her eyebrow, scrutinizing, “You bought that shirt when you were drunk.”

“So what? At least I thought of you.” He shrugged casually.

Her cheeks seared heat almost immediately.

“You know who you remind me of? You know, with your cute little sweater collection and all.” He sipped from his tiny juice box once more.

“Who?”

“You know that cartoon show on Disney with those weird kids and weird stuff going on. Ahh, what was it called again… _‘Defying Gravity’_ or some shit?”

“ _Gravity Falls”_ She corrected.

“Right, right! That show! You remind me of that little girl with the braces, and the pig.”

To have been compared with none other than the adorable Mabel Pines was more than a privilege. She voiced her gratitude by bowing her head in response.

“You know who _you_ remind me of?” She questioned.

“Who?” 

“Gruncle Stan”

* * *

She hadn’t remembered how the rest of their afternoon went by, but the last thing to resurface in her head was the faint image of her leaning onto his shoulder, completely exhausted from their endless cleaning.

She swore she recalled the whole living room still in front of her. Everything so vivid in her mind’s eye.

So why was she here, back in her apartment?

_A girl not too tall, sauntered out of a closet room, dressed in a plum cocktail dress that hugged her desirable curves deliciously. A bright, hearty grin stretched her cherry lips._

_“Soo, what do you think?” The girl with midnight locks exclaimed with open enthusiasm._

_A man, clearly a few years older than her, with pale shaggy hair and striking blue eyes squinted at her in distaste._

_“You’re wearing that to the party?” His tone critical and condescending, prickling invisible needles at her skin._

_The girl tilted her head disapprovingly. “Y-you don’t like it?”_

_He was always like this. Always._

_“Baby, No. I love it. I love the way it looks on you, you’re beautiful. Gorgeous.” He reassures her with words she’s heard over a hundred times already. His words that always coat something vial behind them, yet she was too gullible to even see past them._

_“But people will stare.”_

_And he always knew how to play his cards._

_Her reaction was immediate. “H-how will that affect m-me?”_

_Her stutters always come out in the worst scenarios. Mostly in times when she least wanted them. Especially now, when he was displaying this icy, calm attitude of his._

_The man sitting at the edge of the bed made his way towards the shivering girl and planted his hands on both her shoulder. Coaxing her. Soothing her. Making her believe that he was right._

_“You’re beautiful, you know that?” He reassures her once more._

_“You tell me enough” Her answer was vague yet forward, exactly what he needed to hear._

_“And you know how men react when they see a beautiful woman like you, right?”_

_She nodded, she’s heard this lecture over and over and over again._

_“Men are insatiable creatures, you know that, baby, don’t you?”_

_She nodded again, almost like a puppet._

_“And you don’t want men to be gawking at you like some open whore, right? You’re not theirs after all.”_

_‘Not theirs’, implying that she was his and his alone. Even her own body was his. Even her simple choice of clothing was his. Even her entire damn life was his._

_She nodded again; the routine now memorized._

_Satisfied with her answer, he loosened his grip on her arms, unconscious of how tight it had become. Nevertheless, he was happy she was listening to him like any good girl should._

_“B-but I like the way it l-l-looks on me, Ton– baby. I like wearing this and—"_

_“And?” The word hung coldly in the air. His voice shifting a volume higher._

_She stiffened. It was true, she loved how she felt in this dress, she felt empowered, sophisticated, sexy. Confidence like this rarely, well— usually never happened to her. She always felt the need to hide her skin._

_For once, she genuinely felt valuable._

_“Please, just this once. Ino and Sakura bought this for me on—”_

_Upon the mention of those names, his eyes seethed, his body tensed. “Ino and Sakura? You still hang out with them? Didn’t I strictly tell you no longer affiliate yourself with those sluts?”_

_“They are not sluts!”_

_“How can you even associate with such women? Have you seen how that Haruno desperately clings onto her boyfriend like some mindless prostitute? And that sorry example of a Yamanaka. Her family is known for their renowned professionalism in psychotherapy. If only her father would see her now, he’d be rolling in his grave.”_

_“Toneri!”_

_Fights like these always go about the same. She’d say something against him; he’d protest. She’d meekly defend herself; he’d ignore her. It’s the exact same thing, the exact same cycle. A cycle she was all too familiar with. A cycle she was forced to live with._

_“Honestly Hinata, you’re a Hyuga. Why downgrade yourself to such a flock of skanks? Show some respect for yourself”_

_“They’re my_ friends _, Toneri! They couldn’t care less if I am a Hyuga! They love me for who I am!”_

_“I’m your boyfriend! I’m all you’ll ever need.” He does this. Every time, without fail. He puts himself in front and acts as her messiah, as if he saved her from being trapped in the tallest tower. Acts as if she owes him something. That she should be grateful enough to crouch on her knees, and obey._

_She notices his fist clench and unclench from the tension of their situation._

_Why was it so hard for him to simply_ understand _? Why wasn’t she allowed to feel pretty, just this once? Feel confident in her own damn skin? Why does she always, always have to worry about gawkers and perverts, when it’s her body!_

_Why can’t she just do whatever the fuck she wants to do with it!_

_“Toneri, baby p-please calm down. This isn’t that serious. I-I just wanted to wear this dress and i-impress you at the party and—”_

_“God fucking damn it, Hinata!”_

_Smash!_

_That’s why._

_Unbidden, his hand reached for the ceramic vase closest to him and hurled it towards the ground, shattering the pastel vase into tiny bits and pieces, completely scattered all over their floor. The ear-splitting sound of the vase crashing on the ground filled the atmosphere, each decibel pulsating her ear drums._

_Hinata froze, stone-cold._

_He was always like this. Always._

_It’s alright, it’s okay._

_At least he’s never raised a fist at you,_

_For now._

_But it’s okay. It was just the vase. It was just the vase this time._

_Last time it had been the wall, then that time before it was his phone, that was when she had accidentally ignored him because she had to finish studying for her test soon. But it’s alright; he apologized after that. It’s okay._

_He just has a temper._

_She can understand that._

_Her father shouts at her too, more times than she would’ve wanted, but she reminds herself that it was out of love and the constant need to better herself._

_It was out of love. All out of love._

_Before she could register everything that had just transpired in that split second, her body lost all its mobility, unable to move from her very spot._

_She wanted to cry. Scream. Run away from this man and seek solace from the people who actually cared about her._

_But she was her boyfriend. He was important to her._

_And it was just the vase. Everybody breaks something, right?_

_“Shit, Hinata. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”_

_He steps closer. She flinches._

_“Hina, baby. Please don’t be scared of me. You know I’d never hurt you, ever.”_

_Does she know? She honestly doesn’t. She’s just too damn scared right now and she’s still debating whether she should run or not or simply accept his apology, like how she always does._

_She chose the latter._

_“Baby, I didn’t mean to throw that vase. It was an accident. I’m sorry.”_

_He steps in once more to hug her, and soothe her and calm her. Neither did the trick but she still let him hug her because everyone has lapses, right? This wasn’t his fault. They were fighting and everything just got too out of hand._

_It was all an accident._

_Right?_

_“I love you, I love you so, so much. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He continues hugging her and repeatedly rubs his palm up and down her back. The action calms her a bit, but the recent turn of events still played loudly in her head._

_He continues his words of reassurance, “I’m sorry for yelling. I just love you so damn much that I just can’t stand all those pesky men looking at you like some trophy prize. Because you’re not. You’re beautiful and I love you. You know that I love you, right?”_

_She nodded responsively._

_“And you love me, right?”_

_She nods again, reluctant this time._

_“I’m sorry. You’re right the dress looks amazing on you; you look beautiful in it.” He added, probably to lighten the mood._

_Words fail her. She honestly doesn’t know what to say, think, do. So, she responds to his touch like an obedient little kitten._

_“But to be honest, you don’t need a dress to make you look beautiful. I think you’re beautiful just the way you are. Fancy dress or not. No; I think you’re perfect.”_

_No matter how many times she’s heard those words, no matter how many times people complement her for her beauty; she just can’t bring herself to see it. Everyone has insecurities, but hers just creeps up on her like some devil on her shoulder, reminding her every damn minute of every of day that you’re ugly, worthless, fat, and undeserving._

_So, she tried to buy a dress and see if she liked how she looked in it. Sakura and Ino had praised her endlessly, somehow making her feel… making her realize… maybe she is pretty._

_But if her boyfriend tells her she’s pretty, even without the dress, then she’ll believe him._

_After all, he did call her perfect._

_Whatever that means._

_He continues to coo her with his fancy words of kindness and apologies, and endless praises of how beautiful she is. She slowly finds herself confiding into him once more, almost forgetting the horrid turn of events that occurred a minute earlier. Almost._

_Nevertheless, she responds back and gently hugs him back, an acceptance of his apology. They resolve things over a short exchange of “sorry’s” and gentle kisses and proceed into the night as if nothing ever happened._

_A never-ending cycle._

_“By the way, if you really wanna wear that dress, you can wear it. You look stunning in it, after all”_

_“Really?” The surprise on her face was almost superficial, she couldn’t believe he had turned a complete 180 on her after breaking that vase._

_Maybe he really does love her._

_“And oh,” He said on their way out “I’ll just buy you a sweater on our way there, so you won’t have to expose too much skin. Remember, boys will be boys. At least you’ll have something to cover you up.” He adds this as soon as they head out of her apartment._

_A sweater, huh._

_Nothing wrong with that._

_She’s always liked sweaters._

* * *

“Shhh, shut up already! I haven’t taken the picture yet.”

“Kiba, stop shouting! You’ll wake them up”

“Oh crap, crap, Naruto’s awake. Kiba, you dumbass!”

Faint voices echo around her and blurry silhouettes stand in front of them, her eyes still too hazy to materialize anything.

“Eep! Hinata’s awake too”

The sudden mention of her name drives her to briskly open her eyes in order to find the owner of said voices. Her body was sluggish and all of her limbs still felt like rubber. She attempted to move her head yet noticed it was safely planted on someone’s shoulder.

“Dang it, now they’re both awake.” They heard a forceful blow which was then followed by a high-pitched yelp.

“Don’t blame me! I just took the picture!”

Picture?

Why would they feel the need to take a pic—

“Mmm, g’morning princess.”

Oh, that’s why.

Impulsively, she leapt away from his side, and stood erect in between her friends.

How long have they been asleep?

Better question; how long had she been sleeping _on his shoulder?!_

She felt like fainting.

“Hiya, Hina. Seems like you and Naruto had a lot of _fun_ when we were away.” Kiba’s emphasis on ‘fun’ definitely did not go unnoticed.

Smug looks all painted on each of her friend’s faces. Ino’s naughty winking and Sakura’s constant nudging of her shoulder made her cheeks bloom redder and redder. Even Sasuke was smirking!

Flustered as she was, Naruto on the other hand, ruffled his hair and stretched that stupid grin of his, not breaking eye contact with her even for a split second. Tsk, the nerve of this guy.

Hinata hugged herself in attempt to suppress the increasing embarrassment. All of her friends still had those dirty looks on their faces and circled all around her like some hungry vultures. Naruto was still grinning madly and she wanted nothing more than to dig up her own grave and crawl in it for the rest of eternity. 

“The dumbass didn’t do anything stupid to you, did he?” Completely breaking the silence, Sasuke spoke up and swivelled beside her, earning a deadly look from said dumbass.

“The fuck does that mean, ya bastard? All we did was clean and sleep. I didn’t even touch her!” Naruto defended and got up from the couch to move to their side. He immediately eyed their bags of groceries on their countertop and wasted no time in ravaging it.

Sakura was the first one to react. “Oi, Naruto! That’s for everyone! Don’t hog the food all for yourself!” She then made her way towards the hungry blonde and smacked him right in the head for his behavior.

Ino and Kiba dashed towards the kitchen, screaming and cackling like maniacs, yet Kiba still spared her one last look of accusation and smugly stretched his lips in a similar way to that of a Lenny Face emoticon.

Hinata huffed, protesting any of their ludicrous claims, and as she made her way towards them, in the corner of her eye, Sasuke was still smirking yet this time, he was smirking at his blonde friend, almost in a proud-like manner.

Naruto was still grinning widely, his pearly teeth all out for the world to see. Amidst the clutter, his eyes found hers, and because he was Naruto, he found this as an opportunity to play with her even further. His eyes never moved an inch, his smile still stupidly wide.

He then locked his gaze onto hers, and winked. At her.

God, help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to all my lovely readers!! <333 I hope this portion with Toneri wasn't all too triggering. But seriously though, if you happen to have a boyfriend/friend like that, just make sure you know your own worth. No one should have that much control over your life. Stay safe everybody.  
> I edited a few things in the last chapter, so I hope you'll check that out hehe. AND OH YEAH  
> OHMYGOSH 1K HITS AHHH. I feel like screaming. Both this and for Naruto's apartment ^^. Thank you so so so sooo much for reading, commenting and leaving a kudos. You actually made the last few months of my 2020 bearable. Happy New Year everybody! I wish you all a blessed 2021ahead of you!!!


	6. Into the night

Cacophonous laughter hummed in the air, ear splitting shrieks of amusement waft about and the blood pumping signs of adrenaline surges through their veins.

Konahagakure Highlands Park.

A sight to drink in.

Splashes of color bombard them upon entrance, gigantic machineries and booths splayed everywhere you looked, the sweet smell cotton candy mixed with the the savory aroma of popcorn and fried food invade their nostrils as they took in the view before them.

Yesterday had taken quite a toll on them, their hangovers knocked them out as soon as the sun passed by, forcing them to cancel their planned trips for that particular day. Now, however, they planned on making up for loss time. And what better way to spoil themselves rotten than to treat themselves to a day full of action-packed adventures. Their bodies practically vibrated in anticipation.

“Dude, dude, _dude._ We have to try out the rollercoaster first. It’s like, Amusement Park 101.” Exclaimed an overly excited Kiba.

Ino chimed in and made her protests. “Mmm, no thanks. Wouldn’t wanna get my hair all frizzy in the middle of the ride. You can go though, we won’t mind.”

Not all too happy with her response, he cursed underneath his breath and glared at her disapprovingly.

“I can g-go with you, Kiba-kun. I’ve always wanted to try out their um r-rollercoasters.” Shaky as she was, Hinata plastered on her most genuine smile, warming the hearts of all their friends.

Noting her shift in energy, Naruto _obviously_ turned the cards in his favor and volunteered to come with them, all too eager to spend the ride with her. He ignored his friend’s accusing looks and propped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tight, reassuring that nothing would go wrong with him around.

His other friends decided on rides that were a little tamer than their rollercoasters, and in a split second, Sakura immediately dragged the remains of their friends to The Pirate Ship by the east, bouncing with excitement and adrenaline.

Their tour guide, Haru, decided to tag along with them to the roller coasters, unknowingly upsetting a certain blonde that didn’t quite like the idea of being within a nine-mile radius with this dude. Though as soon as they got to the ride, he swiftly snagged his sit beside Hinata, strapping his belt on in a heartbeat, not wanting to be pulled away from her anytime sooner. She chuckled at his childishness.

“A little bit excited, aren’t we? I’m surprised you even considered going with us, knowing how _screamish_ you can get.” His little seatmate chastised teasingly.

He raised a brow at her. “Wow okay, _I_ get screamish? Yeah, wait ‘til the ride starts, let’s see which one of us gets their lungs to burst first. Oh, and friendly reminder,” He turned to her for emphasis, pinching her cute button nose for his amusement. “When this thing starts, try not to blast my eardrums, I like my ears as they are.”

Mouth ajar and repulsed by his commentary, she snuck her fingers to the side of his stomach and pinched him there, hard.

“Ow! What the— You are sooo gonna regret that.”

Now it was his turn to play with his skittish friend, a need of revenge fuelled him as he assaulted her tiny figure with the pinch of his figures, completely unaware (or maybe he was aware, he just decided to ignore them) by his friend’s stares of disgust from the back of their seat.

“Oiii! Can you _not_ act horny around each other for just one second?! Quit trying to feign being all cutesy and affectionate, it’s _gross.”_ Mildly annoyed by their oblivious actions, Kiba called them out, huffing a sigh of frustration by their god-awful strategies of _flirting._ Along with an uncomfortable Haru faking an awkward smile to lighten the mood. 

They should just fuck already, honestly. Haru thought out loud.

“Can it, dog breath. I know I’m cute as hell, but it ain’t my fault Hinata can’t resist me.” As soon as he finished, Kiba momentarily smacked Naruto right in the head, his fist unforgiving and gratifying. A satisfied smirk stretching his canine grin.

Although a little concerned for her seatmate, Hinata lightly pinched the top of his ear and berated him for claiming such false (not entirely false) assumptions about her ‘ _not being able to resist him.’_

Seconds later, an alarm blared in the speakers _,_ signalling them for the beginning of their ride. Their belts strapped tighter onto their waists and the unspoken thrill surge through their veins. Blinking twice, eye-catching red lights flashed above them, one more count to go until the final push.

“First one to scream gets to buy the winner a corn dog.” Naruto blurts out mere seconds before take-off

A mischievous glint twinkles in her eyes, she smirks ominously. “You’re on”

* * *

“Hey, Naruto. Are ya done yet? It’s starting to reek from here.”

“Yeah, yeah let me just—” And before he could finish, sloppy, moist mush expelled out of his mouth, his other hand clinging to his stomach, rubbing out the stomach cramps, silently expecting for more chunks of late night’s meal to vomit out of his stomach.

“Ahh, Naruto-kun, I think we _might_ have overdone it. Y-you should rest, my corn dog can wait.”

Ever the sweetheart, Hinata palms his back in calming strokes, trying her hardest to soothe the vomiting man.

_God, this is embarrassing._

Apparently, their infamous _Death Ride_ had done a number on his stomach, and with his pride.

It wasn’t his fault that the ride kept turning around! _And_ so, what if he did scream out within the first 30 seconds?! He felt like dying! Like his physical body was on top speed while his soul was running up behind him.

Well, at least he has something to add to his list of _Things I’m never going to do again._

Ang now he owes Hinata a corn dog. Great. Just his luck.

He finished up with his belching and headed straight for the bathroom, washing himself up from the horrid smell emanating from his cloth along with the unattractive glop hanging by his mouth. What a man.

As soon as he finished, he walked towards his set of friends, faking a smile and his ooze confidence, ignoring the recent turn of events that had happened mere seconds ago.

He’s already in front of her as he flashes her another smile. “So, about that corn dog?”

She smiles just as eagerly. “Can’t wait.”

They head for the stall and ordered not one, but _three_ corn dogs for his friends, protesting that they weren’t apart of the bet. This to which they blatantly ignored and continued to chow down on their treats, feasting gleefully to their heart’s content.

He flicked his attention back on Hinata, who was grinning her victorious grin, her eyes squeezed tight from the mirth.

Seeing her smile, he realizes, that this day might not just be bad as it turned out to be.

A few more rides are explored and they head for _The Drop_ and simply watching it fall hastily to the ground, having gravity do its work, made his stomach go on crazy flips. _Hell no_ was he going to do that. Ino and the others met up with them, and her along with Hinata, Sakura, Kiba and Haru tagged along.

Sasuke being Sasuke, refuted their offer and decided to wait for their friends with him, quiet as ever and boring him to death. Though, better this than that hell of a ride. His stomach would thank him later.

They finish the ride a few minutes later, Ino in a daze and Kiba shivering like an alarm clock in the morning. Sakura and Haru seemed fine yet Hinata was pale as ice, paler than her normal complexion.

He suppressed a laugh and saw this as an opportunity to tease her endless.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She eyed him in annoyance and sighed languidly. “I _feel_ like a ghost. I think I left my heart up there somewhere”

“You sure about that? I think that’s safe with me, though.” Naruto then levelled his eyes to her height, his smile stretched out into that maniac grin, and that unforgiving expression of accomplishment.

He peered at her once more, and noted the vibrant crimson blush painted on her cheeks, he could practically see the fumes gushing from her crown.

So cute.

“Ughhhhh. Can you just _SHUT UP,_ already!! Dear God, if you two don’t just fuck each other right now, I’m going to have to—”

“Kiba! Shut it! We feel like shit right now and your yelling doesn’t help!” And with a heavy blow to his shoulders, Ino marched towards the bench, head bent over and shoulders dangling from aggravation and exhaustion.

Noticing the change in aura from everybody, Haru spoke up and suggested something tame and mild, all to their tastes. He began naming a few, along with the Merry-Go-Round, the harmless boat ride, and the ever-gorgeous Ferris Wheel.

“We should have the Ferris Wheel for last, seems like a good way to end the trip.” Sakura suggested out loud and made her way besides Sasuke, who still seemed uninterested with the whole activity.

Ino picked herself up and bounced jovially. “Oooohh! And let’s have it at night time! Once its dark, the wheel usually lights up and has _the_ most amazing view, ever.”

Kiba perked up behind her, his brows furrowed. “Yeah, but like, won’t everything be, I don’t know, _dark,_ smartass? We won’t get to see a thing!”

“Oh no, trust me. Ferris Wheels are just _beautiful_ at night. You gotta believe me, I’m a reliable source. Been on one a few weeks ago.”

“I mean, it just _spins…._ Where’s the fun in that?” Kiba questioned.

“Sai took me on one, and well, I guess you could say, I _definitely_ enjoyed myself.” Figurative hearts fluttered all around her, earning her eyerolls and huffs of annoyance from their friends, clearly not wanting to hear anything further.

Kiba however, was appalled. “What?! You’ve been dating _Sai?!_ Since when??”

“Since it was none of your business, and it probably never will be. Plus, we aren’t _dating_ , just hanging around each other a lot lately”

Ino then began to stride towards the left road, gesturing towards the Bumper Cars behind the Pirate Ship. “Anyway, enough about me. I wanna smash me some cars. C’mon grandmas, hustle up.”

Sakura tried pleading for something tamer than having to forcefully bump into stranger’s cars, though she had been blatantly dismissed by Ino as she headed for the Bumper Cars station, utterly excited for their next adventure.

Naruto, Hinata and Haru followed along with her, leaving an aggravated Sakura, a bored-out Sasuke and a conflicted Kiba.

They later pursue for their friends, with Kiba on track and weariness etched on his face.

“So, wait, am I like the only single guy left in this group?!”

And to which they happily ignored him.

* * *

Bumper Cars had always, _always_ been a favorite of his.

You get to be aggressive and bump other people _on purpose_! Without them yelling at your face or smacking you upright in the jaw! You get to hit other people for fun!

How can you _not_ love Bump Cars?!

Naruto strapped himself onto the seat of the miniature car and positioned himself, momentarily locating for the ignition on the foot paddles and testing out the stirring wheel of the car. Before everything began, he sneakily searched for his friends amidst the crowd of strangers and the vibrant colors of the car.

His eyes immediately dart towards Kiba’s and Sasuke’s cars, plotting out masterminded plans to hit them with the right amount of collision, and send them flying in their seats.

He saw Sakura’s and Ino’s, both in green striped cars, a few feet away from each other. The devil on his shoulder rubbing its palms over the other.

He searched for the most obvious one out of his friends and almost instantly, her midnight blue hair is eye-striking enough.

The Moderator of the station blurts out, announcing that the game would be commencing in a few more seconds. And as the signal blared into the room, he immediately starts up his car and glides towards his target.

Though, he had been stunned for a short moment as a different guy, _Haru_ to be exact, bumped into her, a second before he could even come into range. Giggling and apologizing, he teased her in an apologetic tone, saying; _“He hadn’t done that on purpose.”_

_Pathetic._

“Why I oughta—”

Forcibly, a car came crashing from his side, catching him off guard as he slightly flew off of his seat. Naruto looked around and glared at his attacker, eyes sharp and taut.

“Eyes on the road dingus, you’re gonna get a little boo-boo from being distracted all the time.” And with less force from before, Kiba bumped into him once more, a cocky smile stretching his canines. Ignoring the revolting fest in front of him, he collided towards his own, shortly backing away from Kiba’s vehicle and with once forceful spin of the wheel, his car flies straight onto the front sill of Kiba’s, causing enough impact to have him shift in his seat. This fuelled an annoyed Kiba and with his head held high and determination etched on his features, he grips his steering wheel and glares resentfully at him.

“Oh, so you wanna play, huh Uzumaki? Well, let’s _play_ , Bring. It. On”

And with one forceful spin to his wheel, he collides towards his target head-on, swerving and gliding like a race car on the run. Swivelling past the other cars, roughly bumping into the others, adrenaline high in spirits and his goal in tow, he doesn’t stop for another second and with a vigorous push to the foot paddle, he—

_Thud!_

“What the fuck?! Sakura! I almost had him! I thought we were friends!”

Before he could strike Kiba, Sakura had jumped out of nowhere and rammed against his, willing him to a stop, and shaky from the collision. His body now suddenly feeling like clay.

“Sorry pal, but there’s no such thing as friends when it comes to bump—”

_Thud!_

And yet Sasuke comes flying off once more.

“Dude!”

They exchange a few rude hand gestures and decide to repeatedly collide onto the other. Unforgiving and merciless, the weighty impact shaking his brain, almost like jelly. They aren’t even holding back with their next few attacks, all years of friendship and comradery tossed out the window with only one goal in mind;

Bump the _fuck_ out of each other.

In comes Ino, crashing out of nowhere, tossing and turning, Sakura spins her wheel and rams into hers, laughing manically from her success.

Before he could bump into Sasuke’s, he eyes Hinata’s car and heads straight for hers, he veers his vehicle and deflecting the other cars blocking his path. And with a full-on blow, he crashes onto hers, catching her off guard, and sends her flying in her seat, head wobbling and body floppy. He grins at her innocently.

“Naruto!”

“Ooohh, so you decided to drop the honorific. Must mean you’re dead serious, huh. Well, come at me, little lady!”

A few more minutes into the game, they slam onto the other, blow after blow, not caring nor noticing the humming in their bodies from the constant aggressive collisions. All they could perceive were the onslaught of laughter drifting in the air, the hearty smiles spread across their faces and the erratic pounding in their chests from the addictive adrenaline.

He could stay like this forever.

* * *

The game had ended sadly a little earlier than wanted, but regardless, they never had that much fun in quite a long time.

They picked their next votes and decided it was a short time for lunch, something to fuel their exhausted bodies and empty stomachs. A few of them bought popcorns and hotdogs, along with sodas and cotton candy for dessert. Maybe not an entirely healthy 5 course meal, but it’ll do.

They tried out other stalls in the park, something tamer and less maiming. Darts and Hoops catching their attention. Their group split up, the half heading for the Darts, and the other Hoops.

The stalls were only side by side, so they hadn’t gone out that far from each other.

Now in front of the Darts and the game master, Naruto turns to Hinata, a competitive smirk wide on his face.

“Betcha I’ll win you that little bunny over there.” He challenges her.

“I’ll play too! I’m fairly good at these types of games, I’m sure it’ll be fun.” Again, _completely out of nowhere,_ Haru speaks up and stands next to him, picking out the set of darts needed for the game. The very image of him irks him to the bone.

He rolls his eyes at his pathetic attempt of charm. “Fine, but I’m still winning that bunny and you ain’t gonna stop me.”

“We’ll see.” Haru shrugs him off.

The fucking audacity of this guy!

The goal of this game was to see which one of them would pop the most balloons in less than a minute, winner gets the prize and is rewarded with the bunny, and bragging rights.

Now, with their dignities on the line and his ego on his sleeve, he sure as hell wasn’t going to lose.

Darts start flying and the timer is ticking, balloons pop from the other end, the number of their balloons popped now tow-in-tow. Sweat trickles on his temple while the concentration seething in his eyes. The determination in his veins boiling ever so boldly, he could practically feel himself glowing orange, akin to a wild-fire on a summer’s night.

Just one more balloon anddd…

“Yusss!! Toldya I’d win you that bunny, sorry Haru, but there’s always next time.” He says this nonchalantly as he receives the sizeable white bunny from the stall man, tugging it close then handing it towards Hinata with a proud grin.

“Give your little hinabunny a name. Something cute.”

“Hinabunny? Really?” Haru studies his expression, a little smile lacing his face along with the pop of his brow, scrutinizing.

“What? It’s cute.” He says this shrugging.

Ino and the others head their way and brag about the prizes they won in a friendly competition of Boys vs. Girls, determining which of them could toss more hoops. Apparently, the smug, toothy smiles on Ino and Sakura’s faces matched with Kiba and Sasuke’s sullen features was enough to tell him who had won.

They try out a few more stalls right after, fiercely engaging in friendly battle, game after game, prizes began stacking, money and tickets started draining yet none could compare to the genuine warmth of incomparable happiness beaming inside of him. Time with friends had always been different, times with these dumbasses would _always_ be different.

A little into the afternoon, Kiba spots a spacious paddock right by the corner of the Amusement Park, kids and parents alike lining up beside the fence.

“Ohhh, we are going there. We are _soo_ going there. And none of you can stop me. Adios amigos” And, in a flash second, Kiba sprints towards the paddock, they’re other friends follow up behind him, now just as curious and as excited as their rambunctious friend.

Upon arriving, a few of them buy out the tickets for one ride each, they then lined up and awaited where this experience would lead them to.

Kiba, Naruto, Hinata and Ino were the only ones who bought a ticket, leaving Sasuke, Sakura and Haru for the picture taking. Kiba had pleaded Hinata to tag along with him, and by the kindness of her heart, she accepted. So, _of course_ Naruto would hop in!

Curious, Ino tagged along with them, buying a ticket of her own and excited to give the horses a ride.

Before entering the stable, they were given a brief lecture about their horses and how they should react and position themselves. The trainers talked about the placement of the saddles and the reins, and how they should treat their horses. Naruto could practically feel Kiba’s body vibrating with mirth.

As soon as they were assigned to their horses, they treated them gently, stroking their heads in a loving manner, earning their trusts immediately.

With the assistants of the trainers, they hop on the horses, coaxing them softly with reassuring strokes and words. Though, as he sat on his saddle, relaxed and ready for the horseback riding, Naruto couldn’t help but notice Hinata’s nervous visage as she sat atop her horse, straddling it shakily and frightened.

Well, this was a sight. He thought. Hinata being shy and adorable as always. He surmised that she was most likely nervous about hurting her poor horse.

Like a light bulb on his head, an idea popped out of nowhere.

_Ooohh, this is going to be good._

“Um, excuse me sir, do you have anything against _two_ people riding on one horse?” He questions the trainer beside him.

The trainer looks at him, bewildered. “No, not really sonny. Usually, it’d be a parent and their kid in those circumstances. Depends on the horses too. If the horses are strong and healthy enough to carry two people, we’ll allow it. Tell me, why’re you so interested all of a sudden, though? Wanna try one out?”

Yes, yes he would.

“Ahh, what about that horsey right there? The one my friend is on. Can um Snow White carry the both of us, sir?”

Snow White, the name of Hinata’s horse.

“Snow White, huh? You’re in luck, son, cuz she over here is an absolute beauty and brawn. Of course, she could carry the both of ya!” But before the trainer could finish, he glances at Hinata, who looked more nervous than before. “That is, if the pretty lady here would allow it? What you say, girly? Can he ride with ya?”

“Um…” She stutters and fidgets on her horse, still too delicate in treating the animal.

“Naruto, you perv. Just ride on your horse and let’s get going! Stop being a flirt and stay where you are, dumbass.”

“Yeah, Naruto. Quit trying to make a move on Hina! Your horse looks fine, so let’s just fucking do this already!”

Ignoring Kiba and Ino’s aggressive profanity, he looks up at her expectantly, almost pleading her in the same innocent and childlike way Kiba had persuaded her a few short minutes ago.

His hands cup in front of him as his attempt of a sad, grief-stricken pout juts from his mouth, puppy eyes, quivering and shining, head tilted to the side, waiting for an answer.

“Umm…. f-fine. But only because I-I need help with my horse, I’m kinda scared with how I treat her. I think I might hurt her.” Hinata finally breaks, as one excited Naruto hops off of his horse and dashes straight for Snow White, stroking her gently before propping atop the saddle, holding the reins, and one flustered, blushing Hinata hunched in front of him.

He is _so_ going to enjoy this.

“Need a hand? I’ve got two, maybe I could lend you one.” He caresses her shoulder, easing the tension on her back, soothing her with calming strokes and gentle pats. Their proximity wields them closer, now radiating heat onto the other.

“Ughh, you’re pathetic. Anyway, can we start now, sir? We’re ready now!” Ino exclaims, as the trainers makes their way towards the customers.

They position themselves behind the horses. Two in the front and one in the back. Watching over them as they begin.

Noticing her nervous aura, he snakes his hands above the back of her palm and reaches for the reins in front of them, holding onto her hands, closed and tight. She shivers at his touch, and the sight of her flustered demeanor makes him smile.

“Hey, it’s alright. We’re gonna do this together, okay? You don’t have to worry about hurting your horse” His voice is calm and soothing, and is just enough to lull her thoughts. At the feel of his hands wrapped her palms, she notes how gentle and delicate they were, how it felt so eerily unfamiliar, unlike from that of the forceful grips and bruises one would inflict on her.

His was comforting and warm.

Appeasing and _right._

His hand on hers felt so _right._

He straddles their horse and coax it to move, as they begin trotting along the area with their trainers in tow and their friends in front of them.

His figure is pressed against her back, her attention willed in front of them. Still noticing her not-so-relaxed tension, he slyly plants his head atop her left shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against her hair. The heat from her face burning and bright.

“Hinaaa, stop being so nervousss, I’m here, remember? We’ll be fine.”

She snaps back into reality, face fuming with crimson. “N-Naruto-kun! Don’t just—d-don’t—”

Well, apparently, he broke her now.

“Don’t what, hm?”

“Don’t j-just… do _that!_ I-I um gahh!! You, _you_ are just—”

He giggles at her reaction and lifts his face from her shoulders, though his hands still enclosed around hers while still grasping onto the reins.

“You really are something, aren’t ya.”

***

They finish their horseback riding a little later than expected though the experience had definitely been worth it.

Though his actions definitely did not go unnoticed as this earned him a few glances of distaste and smirks, addressing him as a _Simp_ and that he was in too deep to even back out. Their teases went on for the entire afternoon, jumping from one booth to the next, trying out different rides and games, buying more food for their satisfaction and spending more time and money.

Until night time had finally arrived.

It was already a quarter past 6 and the twilight glow had steadily dawned upon them.

This urged Ino and reminded her of the amusement park’s famous Ferris Wheel, dragging all of them, before the line began stacking. They bought tickets in no time and reserved one cab on the wheel privately for all 7 of them. They waited for a few more minutes before finally reaching to their cab then positioned themselves on the seats inside.

On the left, Haru, Ino, Sakura and Sasuke had been seated next to each other as for Kiba, Naruto and Hinata were positioned opposite to them.

As the wheel began to speak, it lit up into an ember sapphire glow, lights aligned into one full circle around the wheel as it shone and shimmered into the night, emanating a gorgeous scenery all over Konohagakure Park. The scenery outside of their tinted windows were just as fascinating, with the twinkling of the other rides, the colorful dresses of the little people beneath them and the stretching fields of the mountains and the bumps into one full range.

It was breath-taking.

Their crew had been silent for a long time, as they simply immersed themselves into the beautiful view laden in front of them. Small whispers and short conversations were exchanged, being too engrossed with the scenery.

Naruto, too was just as captivated by his view as everyone else was.

However, his line of vision was on something completely different.

He was in awe of the delicate profile that glimmered against the natural glow of the outside, her wavering pure white pupils, iridescent in the night and the velvet, ivory of her skin contrast in the night.

Hinata Hyuuga was ethereal.

This he knew for sure.

Too busy fawning over his subject of affection, Hinata impulsively turned her head as she felt someone’s stare burning into her, intense and heated. She glanced at her side and were immediately greeted by the deep cerulean gaze latched onto hers.

This caught her off guard, of course, but seeing as how intently he had stared, focused and unmoving, his undivided attention solely on hers, she couldn’t help but inch in closer, much like how the tides flow to the shore. Waves crashing on dry land, reeling in, as it ebbs and flows to its waters. Pulling and pulling, closer and closer, indescribable pints of irrationality all come crashing down in that very minute.

The waves reel her in, pulling them closer, nothing but the moon to bare witness to this affair, only one push more into everlasting bliss. Their eyes close, their lips part and the little distance between them felt like mountains apart. Just one more push until everything falls into place.... 

“Oi, dickheads, we’re still here by the way; in case you forgot.”

Their fantasia breaks down immediately in front of them as they’re dragged back into reality. Both faces warm with affection and blushes all around them.

For almost an eternity, they were quiet. _Too_ quiet.

“Dude,” Kiba breaks the silence and perks up. “Were you two about to—”

“Oh my! Would you look at the time! Ino-san, this ride is truly beautiful, I think I shall be trying this out maybe a-another day soon. Don’t you agree, N-Naruto-kun?” Hinata presses the back of her elbow against the side of his chest, nudging him to play along with her.

He catches on almost instantly. “Uhhh… Yeah! Yeah. You’re right, I um love it up here, we’re so up high a-and uh everything looks so pretty and um, really nice.”

“ _Really nice_ , huh?” Ino butts in and haughtily plants her chin above the palm of her hand, smirking all too widely.

“I bet.” Kiba chimes in as well, crossing his arms and looking at the two flustered and sweaty individuals.

Sakura imitates Ino’s posture and discreetly raises an eyebrow. “Must be _really nice_ for the both of you.”

“Hn” Even bastard Sasuke played along!

Haru, conscious as ever, sits quietly on his corner of the cab and listens in, undisturbed yet mildly enjoying the fucked-up situation they had dragged each other in.

Naruto and Hinata, on the other hand, had inched slightly farther from each other, faces fuming, cheeks blushing, as their eyes scanned everything in the room, all except _each other._

Maybe _really nice_ isn’t exactly how he would’ve described their situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took long, hehe. I had some things to sort out, I'll try to update earlier and be more consistent with it ^^, I hope you enjoyed their awkward flirting!~


End file.
